Climate change is a top concern for the UK public, but it doesn’t always make the headlines.

Nearly six in ten adults say climate and environmental issues matter to them, yet only around a third of major broadcast news programmes from Public Service Broadcasters (PSBs) include coverage of the crisis.

by Alina Sandauer (Content Analyst)

18 September 2025

The public’s concern is clear.

Between September 2023 and March 2025 the Office for National Statistics reports that on average 58% of adults see climate change as one of the country’s most important issues. Other surveys back this up: King’s College London (2024) found similar results, and the Royal Society (2023) reported that more than 8 in 10 people are worried, almost half of them very worried. Yet, as our analysis shows, between September 2023 and March 2025, climate change was mentioned in only about a third of PSB news programmes.

Compared with other topics, it’s clear climate change is covered differently. Crime and international conflict feature in almost all running orders, but received far more airtime than public interest reflected.

You might expect coverage of other issues to drop when global conflicts dominate headlines. Yet housing still appeared in 87% of bulletins, and coverage of the economy and immigration generally matched levels of public concern.

In contrast, our data show that climate change, the cost-of-living crisis, and the NHS appeared in far fewer programmes than their importance to the public would suggest.

Climate change coverage over time

The only point when PSB coverage of climate change came close to matching public concern was between 20 September and 1 October 2023. During this short window, mentions of climate reached 58%, almost level with the 62% of adults who saw it as a top national issue at the time.

This increase was driven by two major news events: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s announcement on 20 September to scale back key climate pledges, and the government’s approval of the Rosebank oil field on 27 September. Both sparked widespread political and media debate, pushing climate change higher up the news agenda. Broadcasters vary in how often they cover the climate crisis, but coverage spikes mostly around extreme weather or energy policy debates like net zero.

Crime dominates the headlines

It’s worth comparing coverage of crime with climate change. Crime stories appeared in 94% of PSB programmes, compared with just 34% for climate – almost three times less coverage. Yet public concern is similar: 59% of adults see crime as a top issue, while 58% are concerned about climate change.

One particularly notable week was 29 July–6 August 2024, when crime appeared in 99% of programmes, driven largely by knife crime, the tragic murder of three girls in Southport, and expert analysis of crime trends. By comparison, coverage of the climate crisis never reaches similar levels, even during extreme weather events, elections, or major COP summits.

Cost of living and coverage of the economy 

Coverage of the economy and cost of living often spike around major fiscal announcements. Notable peaks occurred during the November 2023 Autumn Statement, the March 2024 Spring Budget, and the post-election Autumn Statement in November 2024.

Economic stories focused on broader indicators like growth forecasts and inflation, while cost-of-living coverage looked at the direct impact on households. As with other topics, coverage tended to drop when other major news, most notably international conflicts, took centre stage.

Immigration coverage

Coverage of immigration generally matched public concern, with clear spikes tied to political events and policy announcements. Notable surges occurred in:

• December 2023 – debates over the Rwanda Act

• May–June 2024 – general election campaign and party pledges to reduce legal migration

• August 2024 – announcements from the Home Secretary

• November 2024 – release of new net migration figures

While there is a dip in the frequency of coverage in Q1 2025, we would expect that to increase through the latter months of the year with the rise of The Reform Party as an electoral force and immigration as a key political issue.

Our Tracking 

We combine smart technology with real human analysis to reveal how often, and how effectively, key issues like climate change are covered in the news.

Using expert-chosen keywords and public opinion data, we track trends across major UK broadcasters. Then we go deeper, reviewing stories ourselves for context and impact.

See how it works here.

Sources

🔗 Office for National Statistics (ONS), released 15 August 2025, ONS website, statistical bulletin, Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: July 2025

🔗Kings College London: Majority of Britons now say climate change among biggest problems country faces

🔗The Royal Society: Contemporary public views of climate change and biodiversity loss in the UK