Field report

Sustainability & Comms

Sustainability & Comms

Sustainability & Comms

In fall 2026, 98 professionals across comms, PR, marketing, journalism and editorial took a a research survey on how they rate their own sustainability and earth systems knowledge, and where that knowledge came from. Here’s what they said.

What the survey found

79%

Scope 1, 2, 3 is the biggest gap.

79% rated themselves a 1 or 2 out of 5, the lowest score on the survey by a wide margin. Even among people who write about sustainability regularly, 43% still land at a 1 or 2.

79%

Scope 1, 2, 3 is the biggest gap.

79% rated themselves a 1 or 2 out of 5, the lowest score on the survey by a wide margin. Even among people who write about sustainability regularly, 43% still land at a 1 or 2.

46 of 63

Confidence runs ahead of knowledge.

63 people rated themselves 4 or 5 on telling a credible claim from a misleading one. Of those, 46 rated themselves a 1 or 2 on Scope emissions.

46 of 63

Confidence runs ahead of knowledge.

63 people rated themselves 4 or 5 on telling a credible claim from a misleading one. Of those, 46 rated themselves a 1 or 2 on Scope emissions.

4.30 vs. 2.50

Reading is the strongest signal.

The more often people follow climate and sustainability news, the higher they rate themselves on every measure. Daily readers average 4.30 out of 5, and people who rarely read average 2.50. Confidence in spotting a misleading claim drops from 76% among daily readers to 33% among those who rarely read.

4.30 vs. 2.50

Reading is the strongest signal.

The more often people follow climate and sustainability news, the higher they rate themselves on every measure. Daily readers average 4.30 out of 5, and people who rarely read average 2.50. Confidence in spotting a misleading claim drops from 76% among daily readers to 33% among those who rarely read.

81%

School didn’t teach it, and employers aren’t either.

55% had no climate content after high school. 81% have never had employer training. 67% went looking on their own.

81%

School didn’t teach it, and employers aren’t either.

55% had no climate content after high school. 81% have never had employer training. 67% went looking on their own.

60%

They want the training.

60% would take employer-provided training. Demand comes mostly from people who already know the most.

60%

They want the training.

60% would take employer-provided training. Demand comes mostly from people who already know the most.

52%

Washing and hushing show up together.

Among people who write about sustainability regularly, 52% say their organization held back a genuine effort for fear of scrutiny, and 33% have felt pressure to overstate a claim.

52%

Washing and hushing show up together.

Among people who write about sustainability regularly, 52% say their organization held back a genuine effort for fear of scrutiny, and 33% have felt pressure to overstate a claim.

Self-reported ratings, 98 respondents. Results reported in aggregate.

In their own words

“I would have said I was more comfortable in this topic, overall, until reading the specific questions here. Upon reflection, I realize I am more limited that I would have initially expected or even anticipated.”

“No, but I’m more painfully aware of how little I know on the topic (lol)”

“Apparently I’m not that informed.”

“I’ve doublechecked my descriptions and messaging, understanding with tech tools but again, not with the confidence that I could find an error if the tools had it wrong like I do many other topics.”

“I should probably know more about sustainability reporting and the related terminology.”

“A friend will mention something and that will pique my interest and I will realize that I don’t know much on the topic. I use those moments as a catalyst to educate myself better.”

Test yourself.

Test yourself.

See how you compare.