Citizens' Awareness of Climate Change Impacts and Its Implications for Urban Sustainability in Saudi Arabia

Exploring the intricate relationship between household awareness of climate change and socioeconomic factors is crucial for advancing mitigation efforts. However, in the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia, a nation with one of the highest per capita carbon emissions, limited research has explored this relationship despite the nation's unique societal characteristics that may shape household emission patterns. This article examines the socioeconomic drivers of climate change awareness in Saudi Arabia towards more sustainable cities. A cross-sectional survey involving households in the Dammam Metropolitan Area was used to collect data, which were then analyzed through descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, and binomial logistic regression. The findings reveal significant variations in climate change awareness and concerns, with 63.2% of households unaware of climate change and only 29.7% expressing concerns or willingness to act towards mitigating its impacts. Significant socioeconomic determinants of climate change awareness include gender, age, income, education, household size, and housing type. The findings of this study can inform policy decisions to develop targeted awareness campaigns and household policies that support climate mitigation, sustainability, and resilience.