About two in three Australians say the Abbott government should take climate change more seriously and even more believe coal-fired power will eventually be supplanted, indicating a potential voter backlash if the Coalition adopts facile emissions targets and continues its perceived attacks on renewable energy.

The research by the independent Climate Institute comes after Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Sunday set the scene for his government's highly anticipated announcement, expected this week, on the post-2020 emissions cuts Australia will take to a global climate deal in Paris later this year.

Mr Abbott said Australia was already a world leader in greenhouse gas emissions cuts and would make a "strong and responsible contribution to the global effort to address climate change", but not at the expense of jobs or prosperity.

The Climate Institute research, due to be released on Monday, comprised a national Galaxy survey of 1016 people over three days in late July.