Key messages

• About half of NSW residents express strong concern about the impacts of environmental issues on future generations, or the environment.
• Only about one third of the community acknowledge the potential health and wellbeing impacts of the hazards.
• Compared to a decade ago, community concern about the impacts on future generations has declined, while concern about financial impacts of environmental issues has increased.
• Younger people are twice as likely to recognise personal wellbeing impacts of environmental issues as older adults.  
• Enviro Pulse data about NSW community's wellbeing, experiences and responses in relation to nature and climate is available to support decision making.

Understanding community concern for social impacts of environmental hazards

Environmental issues can affect communities in many ways. Heatwaves can lead to heat stress and contribute to a range of long-term health conditions¹. Poor air quality from bushfires may trigger respiratory problems, particularly for people with pre-existing health issues². Climate risks and impacts can contribute to eco-anxiety, affecting people’s wellbeing³. Property damage or reduced economic productivity can undermine households’ financial security and broader economic stability⁴ .

The NSW Government’s Enviro Pulse survey engages with the community on a regular basis to learn about their environmental beliefs, attitudes and behaviours. The research shows that the NSW community is concerned about a range of environmental hazards, often reflecting recent severe weather and pollution events reported in the media. This Social Insights issue presents survey findings on the impacts people associate with environmental hazards like bushfire, pollution or emissions.

What the data tells us

People are concerned about environmental issues impacting future generations, but focus is shifting to more immediate impacts like financial costs.

Enviro Pulse shows that community are most concerned about environmental hazards with immediate threats to personal safety and property. For example, severe storms and flooding, water pollution, bushfire risk, and air pollution were each mentioned by at least half of people as a concern in the September 2025 survey.  At the same time, abstract environmental issues like emissions were causing a concern for only around a third (34%) of the community. 

According to the September 2025 Enviro Pulse, 58% of people were ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ concerned about the impacts that these environmental issues can have on future generations, and 52% worried about the impacts on the NSW environment.  

Comparatively, the community expresses somewhat less concern about other potential impacts – such as effects on the economy (45% were ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ concerned), personal finances (37%), or health (34%). However, there are notable generational differences in how people respond, discussed later in this report.

Meanwhile, trend data suggests a shift in how the community understands and prioritises environmental risks and consequences. For example, concern about the impacts of environmental hazards on the economy and personal finances has remained relatively steady since March 2021. In contrast, worry about long-term effects – such as impacts on future generations or the NSW natural environment – has gradually declined. The proportion of people deeply concerned about the effects on their quality of life, children, and health is now also significantly below the survey baseline. 
 

Some of these changes are more pronounced when compared to the findings from the Who Cares about the Environment? survey conducted in 2015. 

For example:

• Impacts on future generations and nature have remained the top two concerns for the past decade, however the degree of worry for the two has declined. In September 2025, 58% people were ‘very’ or ‘extremely concerned’ that environmental issues impact future generations, well below the 73% who were concerned ‘a great deal’ in 2015.
• Concern about financial impacts has increased - 37% were ‘very’ or ‘extremely concerned’ about the impacts on their finances in 2025, up from 23% worried ‘a great deal’ about their financial situation in 2015.

Overall, the data suggests a shift in community focus – from long-term impacts to more immediate and tangible financial effects. This change likely reflects the lived experience of the NSW community who have felt the impacts from multiple consecutive severe events across NSW in recent years.

Concern about the impacts of environmental hazards varies across groups, particularly by age and past experience of severe events.

Levels of concern differ by age, gender, or household type. For example, women report higher concern across most of the impact categories – 63% of women were very worried about environmental hazards affecting future generations in September 2025, compared to 54% of men.

There are significant generational differences in how people respond, especially in relation to impacts on health, personal finances, and quality of life. Younger people (aged 18–44) are twice as likely as older adults (65+) to recognise the personal wellbeing impacts of environmental hazards.

For example, 45% of the younger group were concerned about the impacts on their quality of life, compared to 25% of those aged 65 years or over. While 38% of the young people were concerned about mental health impacts, just 15% of the older group were.

The rise in concern for economic impacts of environmental issues has also been driven by younger individuals. Among people under the age of 45, the proportion of those deeply concerned about personal financial impacts has nearly doubled over the past decade – from 22% who worried ‘a great deal’ in 2015 to 43% being ‘very’ or ‘extremely concerned’ in September 2025.

Also reflecting one’s life stage, survey participants from family households tend to show higher levels of concern for various effects of environmental issues, particularly about impacts on children and quality of life. Households with members who have long-term health conditions are also more likely to be concerned about health and wellbeing impacts associated with environmental risks.

The respondent’s place of residence does not appear to significantly influence their level of concern for impacts of environmental events. This contrasts with the concern about specific environmental hazards (severe weather, pollution, emissions, pesticides) that can vary significantly based on location.

People who have personally experienced severe weather events in recent years are more likely to express concern across all impact categories in the survey. This points to the cascading adverse effects that environmental issues can have on wellbeing and households’ capacity to adapt to climate change. Individuals whose health, property, or income have been affected by environmental hazards can be less equipped to respond to future risks, particularly as severe events become more frequent and damaging.

What does this mean for adaptation planning

The Enviro Pulse survey provides adaptation practitioners valuable insights into how concern about environmental issues - such as bushfires, pollution, and emissions – and awareness of impacts of those hazards evolve in response to changing environmental, social, and economic conditions.

The insights about gaps in public awareness can guide efforts to improve community understanding of climate change drivers and impacts. For example, the survey reveals low recognition of abstract but critical issues, like emissions, and suggests there is limited awareness of the health and wellbeing impacts associated with climate change. 

The research also shows that public concern is not uniform. It varies across socio-demographic groups and is influenced by circumstance like personal experience of severe events. The findings highlight the importance of using language and examples that are tangible and relevant to help close knowledge gaps and encourage adaptation action in the community.

While this Social Insights issue focused on community concerns regarding environmental hazards, Enviro Pulse asks a host of other questions on community experiences, and responses to nature and climate. The results are available to support decision-makers in designing targeted, responsive and inclusive climate adaptation policies and programs.  

Resources

Read about the Enviro Pulse survey that engages with the community about their households’ climate adaptation needs, barriers, and opportunities.

References

1. Ebi, Kristie L et al, Hot weather and heat extremes: health risks, The Lancet, 2021, Volume 398, Issue 10301, 698 - 708, Heat and health Factsheet, World Health Organisation (2024)
2. Namal N. Balasooriya, Jayatilleke S. Bandara, Nicholas Rohde. Air pollution and health outcomes: Evidence from Black Saturday Bushfires in Australia. Social Science & Medicine, 2022, Volume 306, doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115165., Critical Review of Health Impacts of Wildfire Smoke Exposure. Environmental Health Perspectives. Reid CE, Brauer M, Johnston FH, Jerrett M, Balmes JR, Elliott CT.  2016 Sep;124(9):1334-43. doi: 10.1289/ehp.1409277.
3. Boivin, M., Gousse-Lessard, A. S., & Hamann Legris, N, Towards a unified conceptual framework of eco-anxiety: mapping eco-anxiety through a scoping review: Cogent Mental Health, 4(1). (2025). doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/28324765.2025.2490524. Yumiko Coffey, Navjot Bhullar, Joanne Durkin, Md Shahidul Islam, Kim Usher, Understanding Eco-anxiety: A Systematic Scoping Review of Current Literature and Identified Knowledge Gaps, The Journal of Climate Change and Health, 2021, Volume 3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joclim.2021.100047.
4. Special report: Update to the economic costs of natural disasters in Australia, Deloitte 2021