- 77% believe that the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its consequences should accelerate the green transition.
- 86% say that, if we do not drastically reduce our consumption of energy and goods in the coming years, we will be heading for a global catastrophe.
- 71% want highly polluting goods and services such as air travel and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) to be taxed more heavily to account for their environmental cost.
- 65% want energy prices to be tied to consumption, with those consuming the most being charged more.
These are some of the results from the latest yearly Climate Survey conducted in August 2022 and published today by the European Investment Bank (EIB). The EIB is the lending arm of the European Union and the world’s largest multilateral lender for climate action projects.
After a challenging year in which Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sparked an ongoing energy crisis and accelerated inflation all over Europe, and a summer marked by record heatwaves and droughts, Hungarians have become even more acutely aware of the impact of climate change and the need for urgent action.
Climate change awareness and urgency
While COVID-19 was considered the number one challenge for Hungarians last year, concerns over inflation now predominate, with 72% citing it as their top concern, compared with 36% across the rest of the European Union.
Meanwhile, 91% of Hungarians now say they feel the effects of climate change on their daily lives (an increase of 4 percentage points since 2021).
86% think that, if we do not drastically reduce our consumption of energy and goods in the coming years, we will be heading for a global catastrophe. At the same time, 90% feel that the government is reacting too slowly, and only 35% think that Hungary will succeed in substantially reducing its carbon emissions by 2030.
War in Ukraine and green transition
Three-quarters of Hungarians (77%) believe that the war in Ukraine and its consequences on the prices of oil and gas should accelerate the green transition (12 percentage points more than the European average of 65%).
When asked to rank their energy priorities, Hungarians expect their government to prioritise the development of renewable energies (63%) before focusing on energy supply diversification to avoid being overly reliant on a single provider (23%).
Energy savings are less of a priority, with only 14% of Hungarians agreeing that citizens and companies are not truly willing to change the way they produce and consume (5 percentage points below the EU average of 19%).
Tackling climate change and addressing high energy prices
To reduce energy consumption, most Hungarians want highly polluting goods and services such as air travel and SUVs to be taxed more heavily to account for their environmental cost (71%). They also want energy prices to be tied to consumption, with those consuming the most being charged more (65%).
If Hungarians were to lower the temperature in their homes this winter, only 11% of them would accept capping it at 19° C, which is the official recommendation (17 percentage points below the EU average of 28%). Meanwhile, 32% of Hungarians say that they already cannot afford to heat their homes properly.
Finally, on addressing high energy prices, 32% of Hungarians think that in the short term the government should reduce energy-related taxes (43% among far-left sympathisers). Other measures are less popular, such as encouraging energy saving through public campaigns (26%), capping or regulating the prices of gas, oil and coal (23%), or giving out energy vouchers (13%).
EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwińska said: “The EIB 2022 Climate Survey shows that most Hungarians support prioritising the transition to renewable energy generation as an effective way to fight the global energy and climate crisis. This is very welcome support ahead of the COP27 climate conference. The EIB is ready to continue with hands-on support to Hungary and to make sure the country can benefit from our decades-long experience in supporting innovative clean energy investments, including modernisation of energy supply, wind farms and more energy-efficient social housing. We stand ready to use our full range of advisory and financial instruments to ensure a just green energy transition that leaves no one behind.”
Background information
About the EIB Climate Survey
The EIB has launched the fifth edition of the EIB Climate Survey, a thorough assessment of how people feel about climate change. Conducted in partnership with the market research firm BVA, the fifth edition of the EIB Climate Survey aims to inform the broader debate on attitudes and expectations in terms of climate action. More than 28 000 respondents participated in the survey in August 2022, with a representative panel of people aged 15 and above for each of the 30 countries polled.
About the EIB
Since 2019, the EIB has accelerated its transformation into a climate bank by committing to devoting at least 50% of its financing from 2025 to investments that contribute to the fight against climate change and the mitigation of its effects.
About BVA
BVA is an opinion research and consulting firm recognised as one of the most innovative market research firms in its sector. Specialising in behavioural marketing, BVA combines data science and social science to make data inspiring and bring it to life. BVA is also a member of the Worldwide Independent Network of Market Research (WIN), a global network of some of the world’s leading market research and survey players, with over 40 members.