Concern Over Pesticide Use, Water Pollution Supplants Worry Over Climate Issues – Nielsen

A Nielsen survey of more than 25,000 Internet respondents in 51 countries finds that environmental concerns have displaced global warming and climate change as the top concerns of consumers, perhaps due to a drop in media attention. Key issues that have online consumers on edge are air and water pollution, water shortages, packaging waste and use of pesticides. Sixty-nine percent of consumers still say they worry about climate change/global warming (down from 72 percent in 2007). But 75 percent rated air pollution and water pollution as top concerns, both increasing six percentage points compared to 2009, according to Nielsen. Concern is mounting fastest over the use of pesticides, packaging waste and water shortages, with reported concern increasing 16, 14 and 13 percentage points, respectively.