Australia’s top-level priorities have shifted, with economic anxiety overtaking climate change as the dominant national concern even after the hottest year on record, according to a global survey released this week by the Forest Stewardship Council and global market researcher Ipsos.
The FSC‑Ipsos Consumer Awareness Survey, published during the FSC General Assembly in Panama, drew on responses from more than 40,000 people across 50 countries. In Australia, respondents listed economic difficulties as their top concern (56 per cent), followed by wars, conflicts, and terrorism, and disease or health issues (each at 43 per cent). Whilst globally, the survey found war and conflict to be the major concern (52 per cent), with climate change registering much lower on the headline list at just 31 per cent.
The results paint a mixed picture in the Asia‑Pacific region.
The 2025 survey expanded its regional sample to ten markets, including Vietnam and New Zealand. And while South Korea registered the highest levels of climate concern among the 50 markets surveyed, Japan recorded one of the largest year-on-year increases in worry about climate change. In contrast, Australia and China registered the sharpest declines in public concern for climate change, falling 8.5 and 7 points, respectively, compared with 2022.
The report highlights a striking disconnect in some markets between mounting physical climate risks and public sentiment. “Asia‑Pacific’s signal is clear: where people see concrete forest risks—fire, water stress, biodiversity loss—concern stays high, and behaviour follows. The way through for business is practical: independently verified, deforestation‑free supply, Free Prior and Informed Consent respected where communities are engaged, and buffers and set‑asides in high Forest Stewardship Council® risk areas. That’s how you protect people, cut supply risk, and turn climate intent into outcomes everyone can measure,” said Subhra Bhattacharjee, Director General, FSC International.
The survey’s forestry module, administered in 29 markets, revealed that where people experience direct forest impacts, anxiety levels remain high. Japan and South Korea expressed concerns about climate impacts from forest loss, which were roughly 10 points above the module’s global average, and reported marked increases in worry about wildfires since 2022. Across the region, loss of plant and animal species and deforestation registered prominently as consumer concerns.
Two-thirds of Australians want ecolabels on products.
In Australia, the findings underline strong expectations for credible proof and a clear focus on biodiversity protection. Two-thirds of Australians said sustainability information on products should be certified by an independent organisation, and nearly as many reported that they prefer products that do not harm plants and animals. The loss of plant and animal species emerged as the nation’s top forestry concern, 14 points above the Asia‑Pacific average.
Almost half of Australian consumers reported having a good understanding of the FSC label, and among those who recognise the label, nearly two-thirds stated they had a good understanding of it. The survey also identified a brand-trust dividend: two-thirds of Australians said their trust in a brand would be positive or very positive if it promoted or offered FSC-certified products, rising to more than three-quarters among those already familiar with the label.
- The FSC-Ipsos Global Consumer Awareness Survey 2025 interviewed over 40,000 people in 50 markets. Trend comparisons for climate concern are limited to the 32 markets included in both the 2022 and 2025 waves; results for Vietnam and New Zealand should not be treated as trend data.
