Afrobarometer Climate-Change Perceptions: Ethiopia & Zimbabwe

Data extracted from Afrobarometer survey briefs focusing on popular perceptions of climate change in Ethiopia and Zimbabwe.
Afrobarometer slogan: "Let the people have a say" — emphasizes participatory public-opinion research.
Surveys probe awareness, perceived impacts, stakeholder responsibilities, and recent extreme-weather experiences.
Fieldwork partners:
- Ethiopia: ABCON – Research & Consulting
- Zimbabwe: Mass Public Opinion Institute (MPOI)
All reported figures carry statistical margins of error and confidence levels (see “Methodological Notes”).

Climate-change awareness: Proportion of adults who have heard of the term “climate change.”
Perceived impact: Subjective judgement on whether climate change is making life worse.
Stakeholder action: Public expectations regarding efforts required from government, business/industry, developed countries, and ordinary citizens.
Extreme-weather experience: Self-reported severity of floods and droughts in the last decade.

Awareness
- $(47\%)$ of Ethiopians report having heard of climate change.
Perceived impact (among the aware)
- $(45\%)$ say climate change is making life worse.
Responsibility & action
- Ordinary people can play a role: $(76\%)$ agree.
- Government must act now even if expensive: $(80\%)$ agree.
Extreme-weather patterns (10-year retrospective)
- More-severe floods: $(30\%)$ observe worsening.
- More-severe droughts: $(37\%)$ observe worsening.
“Who needs to do a lot more to limit climate change?”
- Government: $(68\%)$
- Business & industry: $(68\%)$
- Developed countries: $(65\%)$
- Citizens: $(58\%)$

Awareness
- $(45\%)$ of Zimbabweans have heard of climate change.
Perceived impact (among the aware)
- Climate change is making life worse: $(80\%)$ — dramatically higher than Ethiopia’s $(45\%)$ .
Responsibility & action
- Ordinary people’s role: $(64\%)$ affirm involvement.
- Government must act now even if expensive: $(71\%)$ endorse.
Extreme-weather patterns (10-year retrospective)
- More-severe floods: $(16\%)$ report worsening.
- More-severe droughts: $(60\%)$ perceive worsening.
“Who needs to do a lot more to limit climate change?”
- Government: $(78\%)$
- Developed countries: $(73\%)$
- Business & industry: $(68\%)$
- Ordinary citizens: $(36\%)$

Awareness levels are similar: Ethiopia $(47\%)$ vs. Zimbabwe $(45\%)$ .
Perceived negative impact is much higher in Zimbabwe $(80\%)$ than Ethiopia $(45\%)$ , suggesting contextual differences (e.g., drought severity).
Ethiopian respondents emphasize flood severity; Zimbabweans emphasize drought severity — reflecting localized climate manifestations.
In both countries, government tops the list of actors who must “do a lot more,” but percentages are higher in Zimbabwe $(78\%)$ than Ethiopia $(68\%)$ .
Citizens rate their own responsibility lower than that of institutional actors, with a starker gap in Zimbabwe (citizens $(36\%)$ ) than Ethiopia (citizens $(58\%)$ ).

Ethiopia survey
- Sample size: $2{,}400$ adults (May–June $2023$ ).
- Margin of error: $\pm2$ percentage points at $(95\%)$ confidence.
Zimbabwe survey
- Sample size: $1{,}200$ adults (March–April $2022$ ).
- Margin of error: $\pm3$ percentage points at $(95\%)$ confidence.
Afrobarometer uses stratified, multistage, probability sampling → nationally representative of adult population.

Democratic legitimacy: Public demand for government action ( $(80\%)$ in Ethiopia; $(71\%)$ in Zimbabwe) can legitimize costly climate policies.
Equity debates: High expectation on developed countries ( $(65\%-73\%)$ ) reflects principles of common but differentiated responsibilities.
Risk perception & adaptation: Divergent flood/drought experiences underline the need for location-specific adaptation strategies.
Citizen agency: Despite recognizing institutional responsibility, majorities still acknowledge personal roles (especially Ethiopia $(76\%)$ ), suggesting fertile ground for grassroots initiatives.

Findings align with global trends showing higher climate-impact perception in regions directly experiencing extreme weather.
Supports the Environmental Kuznets Curve debate: developing countries demand action even when expensive, challenging assumptions that economic growth must precede environmental concern.

"47-45-45" mnemonic for Ethiopia: $47\%$ aware → $45\%$ say worse → $45\%$ floods+ drought? (almost similar) helps recall key trio.
Zimbabwe “45-80-60” pattern: $45\%$ aware → $80\%$ worse → $60\%$ drought worse.
Stakeholder ladder visual: Government (top rung) then Business/Industry & Developed Countries (middle) then Citizens (bottom), but note Ethiopia’s citizen rung is higher than Zimbabwe’s.