Over the past few decades, the probability of climate anomalies has increased significantly, and large-scale extreme warming events have occurred globally. Climate change has gradually become a severe challenge for humanity, drawing widespread attention from society. Although climate change has increasingly become a consensus within the scientific community in recent decades, skepticism about its authenticity still exists in some parts of society. Many scholars attribute climate skepticism to a lack of scientific knowledge. Others argue that cultural factors, such as values and ideologies, play a more critical role. Addressing climate change is an urgent task that requires collective action from all members of society. This study aims to investigate whether citizens’ scientific literacy significantly influences their perception of climate change. The Science Comprehension Theory posits that scientific literacy facilitates the development of a scientific understanding of climate change, with scientific knowledge playing a key role. On the other hand, the Cultural Cognition Theory emphasizes that sociocultural factors, such as values and ideologies, are crucial in shaping individuals’ per-ceptions of climate change. It argues that citizens’ indifference to climate change and their non-scientific perceptions are not necessarily caused by a lack of scientific knowledge. This study draws on data from the 2023 Science, Technology and Society Barometer Survey, a nationally representative survey in China, to analyze Chinese citizens’ attitudes and perceptions. After processing the data and removing missing samples, the study includes 2986 valid samples. An ordered logistic regression model is employed to conduct an empirical analysis of the relationship between scientific literacy and individuals’ perceptions of climate change and to explore the mechanisms underlying this relationship. The findings demonstrate that scientific literacy has a significant positive impact on individuals’ perceptions of climate change. Mechanism analysis reveals that improvements in scientific literacy positively influence perceptions of climate change by enhancing scientific interest, trust in science, and trust in scientists. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the impact of scientific literacy varies across individual characteristics, such as gender, educational attainment, and age. Specifically, the positive effect of scientific literacy on climate change perception is stronger for men than for women, for individuals with a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to those with lower education levels, and for younger individuals compared to older ones. At the regional level, scientific literacy positively influences climate change perceptions in eastern, central, and western regions of China. The magnitude of this effect is highest in the eastern region, followed by the western and central regions. However, the positive influence of scientific literacy in the northeastern region is not statistically significant. These findings suggest that the impact of scientific literacy on citizens’ perceptions of climate change is complex, requiring attention to individual heterogeneity and regional differences. The results of the empirical analysis validate and enrich the explanatory power of the Science Comprehension Theory, emphasizing the critical role of scientific literacy in shaping individuals’ perceptions of climate change. To address climate change, It is necessary to strengthen climate change education, promote the concept of low-carbon lifestyles, and build professional scientific communities to advance science popularization, improve citizens' scientific literacy, and enhance their trust in science. Furthermore, it is essential to translate awareness into practice, guiding behavioral changes to tackle climate change as a global issue. This study underscores the importance of scientific knowledge and literacy in forming individuals’ perceptions of climate change. By utilizing nationally representative data from Chinese citizens, it validates and enriches the Science Comprehension Theory while addressing gaps in related research in China. Although some studies downplay the explanatory power of scientific knowledge and literacy, emphasizing the role of values, ideologies, and religious beliefs in shaping perceptions of climate change, this study demonstrates that, even when sociocultural factors play a role, scientific literacy remains a robust explanatory factor. Enhancing citizens’ scientific literacy is an essential approach to addressing climate change.

scientific literacy  /  climate change  /  risk perception  /  science comprehension theory  /  cultural cognition theory