Implications for citizens, institutions, and governments
By Anne Bohlender, Associate Director, Thorsten Heien, Research Director, Kantar Public, Germany and Maxime Hayet, Research Executive, Kantar Public, Brussels.
In the landmark agreement on the global response to the threat of climate change, the 2015 United Nations Framework Convention held in Paris (COP21) stated that this century’s global temperature rise must be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius. To achieve this, both systemic and individual changes are necessary: “it is therefore crucial to the implementation of environmental agreements that citizens and voters share these environmental concerns and are willing to incur the costs that are associated with the changes in energy production and consumption”. 1
In an article analysing two decades of environmental attitudes, the authors defined environmental concerns as “an individual’s insight that humans endanger the natural environment, combined with the willingness to protect nature […]. The definition consists of two components, the cognitive component of having the rational insight, and the conative component of being willing to do something about it”. 2
Drawing on a recent Eurobarometer report, our experts explore here the European perceptions of climate change as a global challenge, and the specific actions being taken by Europeans to tackle it. 3 They also discuss expectations with regard to the role of the EU, national governments and other institutions, as well as options to address the resulting value-action gap.
Growing concern about climate change
Most Europeans agree that climate change is a serious problem: in 2021, 78% say that climate change is a ‘very serious’ problem and 15% consider it to be a ‘fairly serious’ issue. On a scale of 1 – 10 (where 10 indicates an ‘extremely serious’ problem) the average score in 2021 is 7.9 compared to 7.4 in 2011, revealing a growing concern among EU citizens. 4
In relation to other problems facing the world in 2021, climate change ranked first as the single most serious problem for 18% of Europeans.
This is the highest proportion so far - trumping other concerns despite the ongoing COVID-19 health and economic crises (spread of infectious diseases: 17%; economic situation: 14%). This issue is of particular concern for people in Northern and Western Europe (43% in Sweden, 31 % in Ireland).
A high proportion of people in Southeastern Member States cite the spread of infectious diseases as their most serious concern (36% in Bulgaria, 34% in Hungary). Issues such as the economic situation, poverty, hunger, and lack of drinking water, are considered as the most serious problems in only a few countries (economic situation: 28% in Greece and 26% in Spain).
Which of the following do you consider to be the single most serious problem facing the world as a whole? (% climate change)
Source: Eurobarometer 513, July 2021
Aside from country differences, concerns about climate change vary across social groups:
The findings also confirm support for the central initiatives set out in the European Green Deal proposed by the European Commission. 5 74% of Europeans agree that the investment needed for a green transition is much lower than the costs of damage caused by climate change.
When it comes to public health, 87% of Europeans see a clear link between tackling climate change and public health, probably due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing risk of zoonosis (the transmission of infectious diseases from animals to humans) resulting from habitat loss for wildlife species. Finally, 90% of Europeans agree that carbon emissions should be reduced to a minimum, to make the EU carbon neutral by 2050.
Taking action (or not) to tackle climate change: the value-action gap
But does this growing concern about climate change translate into action at the individual level among Europeans? It is encouraging to see that two thirds of Europeans say they have taken at least one individual action against climate change in the past six months (64%, +4 percentage points since 2019). However, looking closer into the specific actions, this is most often limited to recycling (75% of Europeans) and reducing the use of disposable items (59%).
Other actions that may be more effective in reducing climate change and/or that require more effort, are far less frequently mentioned. For example, only a third of Europeans have reduced their consumption of meat (31%) or regularly choose eco-friendly alternatives to their private car, such as walking, cycling, public transport or car-sharing (30%). And when it comes to renewable energy, only 10% of Europeans have switched to an energy supplier offering a greater share of energy from renewable sources.
Which of the following actions apply to you? (% EU-27)
Interestingly, in Eastern Europe, the number of people taking action at the individual level to tackle climate change is significantly lower (recycling: 31% in Bulgaria; reducing the use of disposable items: 34% in Romania), while differences between social groups are usually much smaller.
There may be different reasons why the growing concern about climate change does not translate into more individual action. Research on consumer behaviour has shown there is a value-action gap linked to the discrepancy between the cognitive (rational perception) and conative (willingness to act) components of the human mind. 6 Moreover, Europeans might not know which actions are likely to be the most effective in reducing climate change. Recent research also suggests that people may reduce their efforts because they believe that others do not perceive climate change to be a pressing issue. 7
The role of the EU and national governments in combating climate change
Beyond individual responsibility, European citizens look for public institutions to lead the way in introducing regulations to tackle climate change, with 63% expecting their national government to be the most responsible actor in this area, and 57% looking to the EU to take action.
Businesses and industries also rank high (58%), and well above local and regional authorities (43%) and the individual citizen (41%). However, the large majority of Europeans (75%) are disappointed by the lack of action on the part of their national government which they say is not doing enough to tackle climate change.
Against the context of the roll-out of multiple EU initiatives to fight the pandemic and tackle climate change, the strong support at citizen level for climate action gives political weight to the European Commission’s bold plans, particularly in negotiations with other EU bodies.
Do you think your government is doing enough, not enough or too much to tack climate change?
At the same time, concerns about finding a balance that does not jeopardize the economy or Europeans’ livelihoods, mean that the implementation of mechanisms such as the Just Transition Fund, will also be important.
The European Commission is banking on the public attitudes revealed in this Special Eurobarometer, as it communicates the relevance of the European Green Deal, and announces its ‘Fit for 55’ package, another component of its plan for a green transition.
Delivering effective climate change policies
Against the complex political backdrop of the European Union, the Eurobarometer provides solid evidence on citizens’ attitudes, priorities, and expectations with regard to climate action and sustainability – as well as a deeper understanding of the motivations for individual action. These insights play a critical role in informing public policy decision making, thereby providing an essential compass to design more effective policies to tackle the issue of climate change at a European, national, and regional level.
The results discussed in this article show that the EU needs to communicate not only its goals but also its achievements, in relation to climate change. For Northern/Eastern European governments at least, the priority is no longer to ensure that citizens understand the importance of the issue; they now need to formulate and deliver effective policy.
In this regard, and given the individual value-action gap identified, conducting additional behavioural research would help understand how to motivate citizens across Europe to adopt eco-friendly lifestyles that will contribute to the fight against climate change. Addressing today’s climate crisis is a collective responsibility that requires the mobilisation of citizens alongside businesses, and governments across the world.
References and notes:
1. Franzen, Axel, and Reto Meyer (2010): Environmental Attitudes in Cross-National Perspective: A Multilevel Analysis of the ISSP 1993 and 2000. European Sociological Review, 26, 219f.
2. Franzen, Axel, and Dominikus Vogl (2013): Two Decades of Measuring Environmental Attitudes: A Comparative Analysis of 33 Countries. Global Environmental Change, 23, 1002.
3. Special Eurobarometer 513 published in July 2021: Launched in 1974, the Eurobarometer is the polling instrument used by European institutions to monitor on a regular basis the state of public opinion across all EU Member States. Kantar Public has been in charge of conducting the Standard Eurobarometer (face-to-face interviews among the general population) since 2004.
4. Special Eurobarometer 372 published in 2011.
5. By the deal, all EU Member States committed to turning the EU into the first climate neutral continent by 2050.
6. 'The Elusive Green Consumer' by Katherine White, David J. Hardisty, and Rishad Habib (July–August 2019).
7. Andre et al. (2021): Fighting Climate Change: The Role of Norms, Preferences, and Moral Values. IZA DP No. 14518.
8. The Just Transition Fund is a new instrument introduced by the EU in 2020 with an overall budget of € 17.5 bn, which aims to alleviate the social and economic costs resulting from the transition towards a climate-neutral economy.
9. Fit for 55: As an intermediate step towards climate neutrality, the EU has raised its 2030 climate ambition, committing to cutting emissions by at least 55% by 2030.
