The survey of attitudes in Singleton, Muswellbrook and the Upper Hunter was conducted by the Hunter Valley Research Foundation, and 4per cent of respondents thought no action should be taken on climate change.

But research fellow Evan Steverson said large pockets of the region were in no hurry to do anything before 2030.

“These results suggest that many Upper Hunter region residents see climate change as more of a global or national issue rather than a local one, with indirect rather than direct impacts on them,” he said.

About 55per cent agreed or strongly agreed that climate change would have a direct impact on their lives in the next 20 years.

Answering a separate question, 74per cent believed climate change was a problem that needed to be acted on.

Most residents thought humans were causing significant changes to the Earth’s climate.

The most likely to disagree were men older than 65.

The study found reluctance to abandon fossil fuels.

Most respondents thought the benefits of the coal industry for the Upper Hunter outweighed the damage, and the region was divided on nuclear energy as an alternative.

The study found less support than in previous years for paying more for electricity generated from renewable sources such as the sun or the wind.

But many residents said they had reduced their household water and energy use and cut down on waste.

Upper Hunter residents also said they were likely to participate in community bodies or activities such as Landcare or Clean Up Australia Day.