- 71% believe that the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its consequences should accelerate the green transition.
- Despite the energy and inflation crisis, nearly half of Danes (47%) consider climate change to be the biggest challenge the country is facing.
- 80% 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.
- 63% are in favour of indexing energy prices to the level of consumption per household.
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, Danes 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 biggest challenge facing Danes last year, concerns about inflation now predominate. 60% cite the increasing cost of living as their top concern, compared with 36% across the rest of the European Union.
Climate change comes right after inflation and concern about it is increasing rapidly (47% consider it to be the biggest challenge). In addition, 59% of Danes now say they feel the effects of climate change on their daily lives (4 percentage points more than in 2021).
To solve the energy and climate crisis, 80% 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, 75% feel that the government is reacting too slowly, and only a slight majority (52%) think that Denmark will succeed in substantially reducing its carbon emissions by 2030.
War in Ukraine and green transition
Most Danes (71%) believe that the war in Ukraine and its consequences for the price of oil and gas should accelerate the green transition (5 percentage points more than the European average of 66%). When asked to rank their energy priorities, the Danes expect their government to prioritise the development of renewable energies (53%), before focusing on energy supply diversification to avoid being overly reliant on a single energy provider (31%).
A smaller proportion of Danes believe that citizens and companies must do more to reduce their consumption (16% compared with the European average of 19%).
Tackling climate change and addressing high energy prices
To reduce energy consumption, Danes are in favour of indexing energy prices to the level of consumption per household (63%). They also support heavily taxing highly polluting goods and services, such as sport utility vehicles and air transport (62%).
If Danes were to lower the temperature in their homes this winter, 25% of them would accept capping it at 19° C (3 percentage points less than the EU average of 28%). Meanwhile, 23% of Danes say that they already cannot afford to heat their homes properly.
Finally, on addressing high energy prices, Danes think that in the short term their government should reduce energy-related taxes (41%). Other measures are less popular, such as capping or regulating the price of gas, oil and coal (23%), or giving out energy vouchers (7%).
The EIB’s Vice-President Christian Kettel Thomsen stated: “Ahead of the COP27 climate conference, the results of the EIB’s 2022 climate survey show that the Danes believe that accelerating renewable energy should be the priority in fighting the global energy and climate crisis. At the EIB, we have been supporting innovative clean energy investments for many years, including a loan of €475 million provided to Vestas for R&D in future wind technology and constructing more energy-efficient social housing and a €100 million loan provided to Fastighets AB Balder to build two nearly-zero-emissions complexes in Copenhagen. Future advisory engagements are also planned to support Denmark’s green energy transition.”
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 European Investment Bank
Since 2019, the EIB has accelerated its transformation into a climate bank by committing to devoting at least 50% of its funding 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. Specialised in behavioural marketing, BVA combines data science and social science to make data inspiring and bring the data to life. BVA is also a member of the Worldwide Independent Network of Market Research, a global network of some of the world’s leading market research and survey players, with over 40 members.