The survey of 245 companies also found that 87 per cent believe the government should not act alone in setting Australia's post-2020 targets and should follow advice from an independent body such as the Climate Change Authority.

The study by the Carbon Market Institute and the Australian National University's Crawford School of Public Policy surveyed senior executives in industries including electricity generation, mining, manufacturing, professional services, waste management and agriculture.

Nearly a third of the respondents represent major emitting companies that were liable under the former Labor government's carbon pricing regime, while 96 businesses are obliged to report their emissions under the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting scheme.

The poll found 50 per cent unequivocally support toughening Australia's low target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5 per cent on 2000 levels by 2020.

A further 26 per cent support a beefed-up target if it aligns with actions taken by Australia's major trading partners.

Seventy-six per cent also said they wanted a strong target for Australia's emissions reductions in the post-2020 period, while nearly 80 per cent believed Australia should be looking to the United States, the EU and China in setting its climate policies.

Australia is yet to set targets beyond 2020, despite calls from the United Nations for countries to announce targets for coming decades by March to lay the ground work for a new global deal on climate change in Paris in December next year.

The Abbott government has promised to review Australia's emissions reduction targets early next year.

Frank Jotzo, an economist at the Crawford School of Public Policy, said the survey highlighted the urgent need for the government to move on Australia's post-2020 responsibilities.

"The conversation in Australia really hasn't started and it's very late in the piece," he said.

An overwhelming number of businesses polled signalled they were worried Australia would be disadvantaged if it did not enact climate policies in line with actions being taken by other countries.

Eighty-five per cent also felt Australia's future economic prosperity would depend on how well the country adapted to a low carbon world.

The figures follow international criticism of Australia's performance at a recent summit of world leaders in New York.

After the summit, a lead adviser to German Chancellor Angela Merkel attacked the Abbott government's championing of the coal industry as an economic "suicide strategy".

More than 70 per cent of businesses thought Australia's economy would be disadvantaged if the government did not set targets in line with other countries and did not price carbon in line with major countries.

"Business is telling us you can't ignore what the rest of the world is doing and think we'll get away with it," Dr Jotzo said.