The fight against climate change requires collective action — from governments, institutions, businesses and individuals. A good understanding of the climate challenge is essential for people to make informed choices. To assess the public’s understanding of climate change in Croatia, the sixth edition of the EIB Climate Survey focuses on people’s knowledge of climate change in three key areas: definitions and causes, consequences, and solutions. Participants answered 12 questions and were ranked on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 indicating the highest level of knowledge. With over 30 000 respondents across 35 countries, including the EU Member States, the United Kingdom, the United States, China, Japan, India and Canada, the EIB Climate Survey provides valuable insights into people’s overall understanding of climate change.
Key findings
- Croatian respondents rank fifth in the EU27 (score of 6.78/10), placing them well above the EU average of 6.37/10, according to the EIB survey. Finland leads the scoreboard with 7.22/10, followed by Luxembourg (7.19/10) and Sweden (6.96/10). Croatia ranks immediately after Portugal and ahead of Denmark in a knowledge test on the causes and consequences of climate change and solutions to address it.
- Overall knowledge gaps: A greater focus on potential solutions and further action could allow Croats to benefit even more from their high level of awareness of the causes and consequences of climate change. Similarly to the findings in most EU countries, a large share of Croatian respondents did not know that reducing speed limits on roads (84%) or better insulating buildings (56%) can help combat climate change.
How well do people understand the causes of climate change?
The first sub-index focuses on the definition and causes of climate change. In this area, Croats scored 7.21/10 (equal to the EU average), ranking 13th in the European Union.
- When it came to defining climate change, most Croatian respondents (69%) selected the correct definition (“A long-term shift in global climate patterns”), and only 5% believe that climate change is a hoax.
- Over three-quarters (81%) are also aware that the main causes of climate change are human activities such as deforestation, agriculture, industry and transport (7 percentage points above the EU average). Meanwhile, 11% believe it is caused by extreme natural phenomena such as volcanic eruptions and heatwaves, and 8% think that climate change is caused by the ozone hole.
- When asked about the three biggest greenhouse gas emitters worldwide, most Croats (68%) correctly selected the United States, China and India. However, nearly a third (32%) chose an answer that did not include China, indicating that they are not necessarily aware of it being among the top three emitters — let alone the main emitter — of CO2 globally.
How aware are people of the consequences of climate change?
When asked about the consequences of climate change, Croats scored 8.63/10 (ranking second in the European Union), far above the EU average of 7.65/10.
- 90% of respondents are aware that climate change is worsening world hunger by affecting crop yields due to extreme weather.
- Another 90% also correctly said that climate change has a negative impact on human health (for example, it can lead to an increase in air pollutants such as ground-level ozone and particulate matter).
- 84% (13 percentage points above the EU average) correctly said that the global sea level is rising.
- The impact of climate change on migration, with increased forced displacement worldwide, is clear for over three-quarters of Croatian respondents (81%, 12 percentage points above the EU average).
Knowledge of how to combat climate change varies
In the last sub-index, Croatian respondents scored 4.49/10, above the EU average of 4.25/10 but still indicating that they have significantly less knowledge of actions that can help mitigate climate change compared to the other two areas investigated. This highlights a general trend across EU countries, with most of them receiving low scores in this area. This score places Croatia 13th out of 27 EU countries.
- Most Croats (83%, 11 percentage points above the EU average) know that using recyclable products can help mitigate climate change.
- 73% also correctly said that using public transport instead of an individual car is a step in the right direction (8 percentage points above the EU average).
- However, less than half of respondents (44%) are aware that buying new clothes less frequently is a way to fight climate change.
- Similarly, less than half of respondents (40%) seem to know that better insulating buildings can help.
- Very few respondents (16%, 10 percentage points below the EU average) seem to know that reducing the speed limit on roads would help mitigate climate change.
- Finally, most Croats are unaware of the significant impact that digital usage has on the climate, with only 4% (5 percentage points below the EU average) saying that watching fewer videos online can help fight the climate emergency.
- Unlike in most countries in Europe, a small majority of Croats (52%) were able to correctly define an individual’s carbon footprint as “the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions emitted by a person in a year.”
As the EU's financing arm, the EIB is investing in major projects in Croatia that are supporting the country's green transition. Recent examples include investments to upgrade of the national railway network and rolling stock under the Railway Revitalization Framework Loan. The EIB financing will improve cohesion of EU regions, enhances transport across Croatia, cut dependence on fossil-fuel dependent transport modes and significantly improve safety for passengers while cutting their travel times. The EIB is also helping Croatia transform into an energy efficient country by providing advisory services to the capital city of Zagreb on upgrading energy efficiency in public buildings and decarbonising the city’s public public transport, including bus and tram systems.
EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwińska:
“The negative effects of climate change can only be mitigated if we work together, and Croatia has an important role to play in this. A key step to improving our response to climate change is to identify and address knowledge gaps, and the EIB Climate Survey offers a good place to start. At the EIB, we provide financing to fight climate change, but we also recognise our role in contributing to the debate and education around the issue. Education is a powerful tool for change. We are committed to complementing our financing with initiatives that promote climate awareness and knowledge. This is how we build a sustainable future that leaves no one behind.”
Background information
Data and methodology
The survey methodology, questionnaire and full dataset can be downloaded here.
About the European Investment Bank
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union owned by its Member States. It is active in more than 160 countries and makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy goals. You can find more information about the EIB and climate education here.
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