Australians less concerned and more optimistic about the environment

Australians’ concerns about the environment have lessened over the past few years, and they feel the natural environment has improved, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The ABS finds that this drop in concern coincided with good rainfall across much of Australia over the last few years which has also led to fewer people worrying about water shortages. The proportion of people reporting water restrictions has more than halved from where it was in 2007–08, down from 76 per cent to just 30 per cent. At a national level, concern about climate change has also decreased, down from 73 per cent to 57 per cent.