A recent survey (PDF) surveyed public opinion about climate change in thirteen countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Switzerland, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The survey found (PDF) that "[t]he reality of climate change is firmly established in international public opinion: 9 out of 10 people polled believe that the climate has changed significantly in the past 20 years. With the exception of the United States, this belief is especially prevalent in the regions that are most vulnerable to climate risks. In addition, people seem convinced that climate change is a scientific fact, since 3 out of 4 consider that climate change has been scientifically proven."
Asked "Do you feel that our climate has changed over the past 20 years?" 48% of respondents overall agreed with "Yes, very much"; 40% agreed with "Yes, rather"; 10% agreed with "No, not really"; 1% agreed with "No, not at all"; and 1% didn't know. Mexico and Hong Kong were tied for the greatest rate of acceptance of climate change, with 98% agreeing with either of the yes answers; the United States was lowest, with only 72% agreeing with either of the yes answers.
Asked "Which one of the following two statements best corresponds to your opinion?" 77% of respondents overall agreed with "Climate change has been proven by science" and 23% agreed with "Climate change has not been proven by science." Indonesia and Hong Kong had the greatest rate of acceptance of the scientific validity of climate change, with 95% and 89% agreeing, while the United States, Great Britain, and Japan having the lowest, with only 65%, 63%, and 58% agreeing.
The survey, conducted by Ipsos for the insurance group AXA, was conducted from July 5 to August 6, 2012, among over 13,000 respondents, with over 1000 respondents in each country; national representative samples were interviewed on line.