Daikin World Air Survey 2026: How people are adapting to heat

Corporate news / Osaka, 7 August 2026 – A survey of 1,200 people across 12 cities worldwide finds that nearly 90% feel their area has become hotter, affecting daily life, health and cooling needs. The findings offer insights into how people are adapting to heat and what they consider necessary.

Daikin World air Survey 2026: Living in a hotter world  

Daikin Industries, Ltd., a global leader in HVAC-R solutions, has published the results of its second Daikin World Air Survey. Based on responses from 1,200 air conditioner owners in 12 cities worldwide, the survey examines perceptions of heat, heat-related changes in daily behaviour and air conditioning use.

In recent years, record temperatures and heatwaves have become more frequent worldwide. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2024 was the warmest year on record globally, while 2023 and 2025 ranked second and third, respectively.¹⁾ As rising temperatures increasingly affect daily life, health and cooling needs, the survey explores how people are adapting to a hotter world.

What this survey finds

• Areas feel hotter: 86.5% of respondents say their area has become hotter compared to five years ago.
• Heat is changing daily routines: 59.1% say they have avoided going out or doing outdoor activities because of the heat.
• Health and well-being are affected: 89.9% of respondents report some form of heat-related physical discomfort.
• Cooling seasons are getting longer: 84.1% of respondents say the period during which they use air conditioning has become longer.
• Many people face barriers to cooling: 64.4% of respondents say there are times when they cannot use air conditioning as much as they would like to because of costs, power supply, or other constraints.

86.5% feel their area has become hotter

How do people around the world perceive recent changes in heat? 

Across the 12 cities surveyed, 86.5% of respondents reported that their area had become hotter over the past five years. By city, the highest share was recorded in Bangkok, Thailand, where 97.0% of respondents said conditions had become hotter, followed by, Delhi, India, and Tokyo, Japan, both at 94.0%. Madrid, Spain, and Paris, France, were also above the overall average, with around 90% of respondents reporting that their area had become hotter. 

Notably, the Daikin World Air Survey was conducted in May 2026, before the major heatwaves that affected Europe in June and July 2026, indicating that the perception of rising heat was already widespread at the time of the survey. 

How have temperatures actually changed in cities?

Data from the Japan Meteorological Agency show that Bangkok and Delhi, where many respondents perceived their area to be hotter than five years ago, are among the warmest of the 12 cities surveyed. While maximum temperatures in Bangkok have continued to trend upward in recent years, Delhi has experienced a slight decline.

These findings suggest that perceptions of rising heat are not necessarily driven by maximum temperatures alone. Because temperatures fluctuate considerably across seasons and years, people may also be influenced by other indicators of heat, including the frequency and intensity of heatwaves, the number of extremely hot days, and the occurrence of tropical nights.

Dubai, UAE, recorded the highest average maximum temperature among the 12 cities, exceeding 40.0°C/104.0° F. By contrast, Paris had an average maximum temperature around 26.0°C/78.8°F, lower than many of the other cities surveyed, despite experiencing severe heatwaves this year. This highlights the fact that Paris has historically had a more moderate summer climate than many of the hotter regions included in the survey.

Living with heat in Europe

Hotter summers reshaping perceptions of cooling

According to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), Europe is the fastest-warming continent globally and June 2026 was the hottest June on record in western Europe²⁾. As extreme heat becomes more frequent, attention is increasingly turning to how homes, buildings and cities can adapt to a warmer climate.

Although the Daikin World Air Survey was conducted between 29 May and 5 June 2026, respondents in Paris and Madrid were already reporting growing exposure to increased heat and longer cooling seasons before the major heatwaves that affected their region later that summer. Public concern about heat-related health risks, cooling needs and climate adaptation may have increased further following these extreme weather events.

In Madrid, 93% of respondents said their area had become hotter than it was five years ago, while 89% of respondents in Paris shared the same view. In addition, 87% of respondents in Madrid and 75% in Paris reported that their cooling season had become longer. These findings suggest that cooling is becoming an increasingly important aspect of adapting to life in a warmer climate, even in regions that have traditionally experienced more moderate summer temperatures.

Infograph sources: https://climate.copernicus.eu/esotc/2025

Heat is changing how people live and spend their time

According to the Daikin World Air Survey 2026, heat is also influencing daily routines. When asked, “Over the past year, have you or any of the family members you live with changed your lifestyle or behaviors due to the heat?”, the most common response across the 12 cities surveyed was, “I have avoided going out during the day or taking part in outdoor activities,” cited by 59.1% of respondents. The highest shares were recorded in Istanbul, Turkey (74%), Bangkok, Thailand (73%), and Delhi, India (70%).

The second most common response was, “I have increased the amount of time I spend at home or indoors,” selected by 40.7% of respondents. Other common adaptations included changing clothing choices, showering more frequently, using air-conditioned public facilities, and shifting activities to cooler times of the day. Together, these findings suggest that heat is increasingly influencing everyday routines and behaviors, extending its impact beyond physical discomfort alone. 

89.9% have experienced heat-related physical discomfort

The Daikin World Air Survey 2026 shows that heat appears to affect not only how people perceive changes in their local climate, but also their health and daily lives. When asked, "Have you ever experienced physical discomfort that you think was caused by heat?", 89.9% of respondents across the 12 cities surveyed said they had experienced some form of heat-related physical discomfort.

The most commonly reported effect was a decline in sleep quality (58.3%), followed by fatigue or sluggishness (50.9%) and headaches (36.1%). While these symptoms may not be as severe as heatstroke, poor sleep can affect rest and recovery, contributing to fatigue, daytime drowsiness, reduced concentration and lower productivity.

As periods of extreme heat become more frequent, the findings highlight the importance of protecting people from heat exposure throughout the day and night. Measures that help maintain comfortable indoor environments may play an increasingly important role in supporting health, well-being and daily activities in a warming climate.

Cooling and health: Protecting well-being in a hotter world

Extreme heat affects more than comfort. It can influence sleep quality, daily activities and overall well-being, while also increasing serious health risks. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), studies estimate that approximately 489,000 heat-related deaths occur worldwide each year. Heat can trigger heat exhaustion and heatstroke, and increase a range of health risks, including cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.³⁾

In the Daikin World Air Survey 2026, 89.9% of respondents across 12 cities reported experiencing some form of heat-related physical discomfort. As the world becomes hotter, the effects of heat are increasingly being felt not only through changing weather patterns, but also in people’s health, well-being and everyday lives. Ensuring access to energy-efficient and affordable cooling will increasingly become both a public health and societal challenge.

Cooling seasons are getting longer

As behavior changes in response to heat, the way people use air conditioning is also changing. When asked, “Compared with five years ago, how has the period during which you use air conditioning for cooling, from the start to the end of use within a year, changed?”, 84.1% of respondents across 12 cities said it has become longer. By city, the highest shares were in Delhi, Bangkok, and São Paulo, Brazil.

When respondents were asked how many hours they use air conditioning for cooling when spending a full day at home during the hottest time of year, the longest average usage time was in Tokyo, at 14 hours and 12 minutes. This was followed by Houston, United States, at 14 hours and 2 minutes, Dubai at 12 hours and 56 minutes, Shanghai, China, at 11 hours and 56 minutes, and New York, United States, at 11 hours and 36 minutes.

Infobox: How air conditioning systems vary around the world

• Air conditioning has evolved differently around the world to suit lifestyles and housing styles.
• In the United States, central air conditioning is the most common residential system. A network of ducts distributes cool or warm air throughout the home, making it well suited to larger detached houses.
• In contrast, many homes in Asia and Europe use ductless mini-split systems, which allow people to cool or heat individual rooms as needed.
• In Europe, the heating market is gradually shifting from traditional boilers to heat pumps. Modern air conditioning systems are reversible, providing both cooling in summer and heating in winter. As a result, technologies that were once used primarily for cooling are increasingly playing a role in year-round indoor comfort.

64.4% cannot always use air conditioning as much as they would like

The Daikin World Air Survey 2026 found that air-conditioning use is increasing around the world, but not everyone is able to use cooling as much as they need or would like. When asked, “Do you think everyone who wants to use air conditioning in your country or region is actually able to do so?”, more than 60% of respondents across 12 cities answered “Yes.” At the same time, in São Paulo, Paris, Lagos, Tokyo, and Madrid, more than half answered “No,” indicating that many people do not believe everyone who wants to use air conditioning is actually able to do so.

Looking at the respondents themselves, all of whom owned an air conditioner at home, the survey asked, “If it were not for high electricity costs or power supply constraints, would you want to increase your use of air conditioning for comfort or health reasons?” Across the 12 cities, 89.7% of respondents said they would, either “Very much” or “Somewhat.”

Affordable cooling to improve access to air conditioning

As temperatures rise around the world, access to cooling is becoming increasingly important. The International Energy Agency (IEA) points out that only about 15% of people living in hot climates own an air conditioner, and affordability remains a major challenge in many parts of the world.⁴⁾

This challenge is also reflected in the Daikin World Air Survey 2026: Across 12 cities, 64.4% of respondents said they sometimes cannot use air conditioning as much as they would like because of factors such as electricity costs or power supply constraints. Addressing access to cooling is not only an energy challenge, but also a public health and climate resilience challenge, particularly for those most vulnerable to increasing heat risks.

As cooling demand grows, broader access to affordable cooling will depend on reliable power infrastructure and measures that help reduce energy use. The key challenge is not whether cooling is needed, but how to make it affordable, reliable and less energy intensive.

About the Daikin World Air Survey

Daikin has conducted the Modern People’s Air Survey in Japan to reveal how people today think about air and what issues they face, and to encourage broader interest in air, a subject that is often taken for granted. Since the survey began in 2002, Daikin has conducted 28 surveys and shared a wide range of topics related to air.

As Daikin’s overseas business ratio now exceeds 80%, the company expanded the survey globally in 2024 and conducted the first Daikin World Air Survey to encourage more people across borders to pay attention to air and to air conditioners, which help create comfortable indoor air environments.

The second Daikin World Air Survey was conducted amid growing global interest in heat. It surveyed people living in 12 cities across 11 countries about their perceptions of recent heat, changes in daily life and behavior caused by heat, actual use of air conditioning, impacts on sleep and health, energy-saving awareness, and challenges related to using cooling. As the world becomes hotter, air conditioning is becoming increasingly important not only as a home appliance that creates a comfortable indoor environment, but also as something that supports daily life and health. 

Through this survey, Daikin aims to shed light on how air environments, air-conditioning usage, and approaches to heat differ by country and region, and to provide an opportunity to think about air environments that help people around the world live comfortably and healthily.

Modern People’s Air Survey website (in Japanese): https://www.daikin.co.jp/air/life/survey

Selection of survey cities

The way air conditioners are used varies greatly depending on the climate, housing style, etc. of the area, including the average air temperature and the highest and lowest air temperatures throughout the year. In this survey, Daikin Industries selected the cities to be surveyed by taking into consideration the climate and geographical balance.

Survey outline