Understanding fluctuating climate change risk perceptions through the lens of trust: a study of Great Barrier Reef region residents

Public perceptions of climate change risks are fundamental to public support for climate action. From a decade of surveying residents in the Great Barrier Reef region (2013–2023; n = 9920), we found that climate risk perceptions have fluctuated markedly, with shifts mainly occurring at the extremes of the belief–denialism spectrum. Along with a trend of decreasing belief and increasing denialism, trust in scientists strengthened in its predictive potential over time.