Ahead of the global climate conference COP24, taking place in Poland on 3-14 December 2018, the European Investment Bank has launched a first-of-its-kind climate survey, in partnership with the global public opinion company YouGov, to find out how 25 000 citizens feel towards climate change in the European Union, the United States and China.
Discover below some visualisations of the key findings from the first of six releases of this worldwide EIB climate survey.
Climate change seen by EU citizens – the North-South divide
The infographics show citizens’ sentiment towards climate change in the European Union. These highlight a geographical disparity between the North and the South. Southern Europeans are particularly concerned about the impacts of climate change and see it much more as an immediate threat. They also believe it is mostly caused by human activities. On the contrary, northern Europeans are less worried about climate change and less convinced of the impact of human activities.
Comparing the EU with the USA and China
In terms of levels of concern towards climate change, the EU comes in first, ahead of China and the USA. As for climate change doubters or deniers, they are more likely to be found in the USA, than in the EU or China.
Find out more about attitudes towards climate change in the following countries
Germans – less concerned about climate change impacts than most Europeans
The survey reveals that 74% of Germans describe themselves as concerned or alarmed when thinking about climate change whereas the EU average is 78%. The survey also shows that they are less aware of the dangers of climate change than the average EU citizen, with 52% of Germans believing that climate change has already become a threat to humanity, against 59% for the EU average.
Furthermore, while in other EU countries, younger generations are more climate-aware than the older ones, in the case of Germany, it is the other way around: 52% of Germans aged 35 to 54 believe global warming is due to human activity whereas only 46% of the younger population (18 to 34 year-olds) share this view.
Find out more on climate change beliefs in Germany in the infographics below.
Spaniards – more alarmed about climate change than most Europeans
Above the EU average, 87% of Spaniards describe themselves as concerned or alarmed when thinking about climate change and 70% believe it has already become a threat to humanity, making Spain one of the most climate-aware countries in the EU.
The survey also highlights generational gaps in attitudes towards climate change with 68% of the millennial generation (18 to 34 year-olds) believing global warming is due to human activity against only 54% among the ageing population (55+).
Find out more on climate change beliefs in Spain in the infographics below.
The French – more concerned about climate change impacts than most Europeans
Above the EU average, 82% of French people describe themselves as concerned or alarmed when thinking about climate change. The survey also reveals that the French are among the most climate-aware citizens in the EU, with 67% of French citizens believing climate change has already become a threat to humanity, against 59% for the EU average.
Furthermore, the results show a generational gap in attitudes towards climate change with 57% of the French millennial generation (18 to 34 year-olds) believing global warming is due to human activity and only 38% of the ageing population (55+) sharing this view.
Find out more on climate change beliefs in France in the infographics below.
Italians – the most alarmed about climate change in the EU
With 37% of Italians describing themselves as alarmed when thinking about climate change and 67% believing it has already become a threat to humanity, Italy comes in first in terms of climate change concerns.
The survey also unveils the fact that the younger generations are more climate-aware than the older ones, with 69% of millennials (18 to 34 year-olds) believing global warming is due to human activity against only 56% among the ageing population (55+).
Find out more on climate change beliefs in Italy in the infographics below.
Poles – less concerned about climate change impacts than most Europeans
Below the EU average with 75% of Poles describing themselves as concerned or alarmed when thinking about climate change, Poles are less concerned about the impacts of climate change than their fellow Europeans. The survey also reveals, that – with only 40% of Poles believing that climate change has already become a threat to humanity, against 59% for the EU average – they are less aware of the dangers of climate change than the average EU citizen.
Furthermore, while in other EU countries, younger generations are generally more climate-aware than the older ones, in the case of Poland, it is the other way around: 48% of Poles aged 35 to 54 believe global warming is due to human activity, against only 34% of 18 to 34 year-olds.
Find out more on climate change beliefs in Poland in the infographics below.
Swedes – less concerned about climate change impacts than most Europeans
Below the EU average with 63% of Swedes describing themselves as concerned or alarmed when thinking about climate change, Swedes are less concerned about the impacts of climate change than their fellow Europeans. The survey also reveals that they are less aware of the dangers of climate change than the average EU citizen, with only 51% of Swedes considering that climate change has already become a threat to humanity, against 59% for the EU average.
Furthermore, the survey highlights some generational gaps, with 59% of the millennial generation (18 to 34 year-olds) believing global warming is due to human activity and only 37% of the ageing population (55+) sharing this view.
Find out more on climate change beliefs in Sweden in the infographics below.
More climate-related data from a selection of open source researches
Get all data
Download raw excel data.
You can download the full results data set here.
Want to know more about citizens’ perception of climate change?
Contact
Thomas Froimovici
European Investment Bank
98-100, boulevard Konrad Adenauer
L-2950 Luxembourg
Luxembourg
t.froimovici@eib.org
+352 4379 - 83249
+352 691284262