Some 65 percent of the 22,182 people questioned in 21 countries for the BBC World Service poll agreed it was necessary to "take major steps starting very soon" to combat global warming, while a further 25 percent said modest action was needed "in coming years."

Among the countries most in favour of major steps were Spain (91 percent), Italy (86 percent) and France (85 percent). On the opposite end of the scale, just 43 percent of Russians and 37 percent of Indians favoured major moves.

Of the types of preferred measures to combat climate change, a majority of respondents in 18 of the 21 countries surveyed favoured a limit on carbon emissions for both rich and developing countries.

The three countries that said developing states shouldn't be subject to caps on carbon emissions were Egypt, Nigeria and Italy.

"The public in developing as well as developed countries agree that action on climate change is necessary," said Steven Kull, director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland in the United States, which conducted the survey for the BBC with polling firm GlobeScan.

In all, 73 percent of people around the world favoured an international agreement that would require developing countries to cap greenhouse gas emissions in exchange for financial aid and technological support from their richer counterparts.

Some 79 percent also said that "human activity, including industry and transportation, is a significant cause of climate change."

"The strength of these findings makes it difficult to imagine a more supportive public opinion environment for national leaders to commit to climate action," said GlobeScan President Doug Miller.

The survey was conducted between May 29 and July 26 in 21 countries in Africa, North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia.