- 55% believe that the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its consequences should accelerate the green transition.
- 74% 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 heavily taxing highly polluting goods and services such as sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and air transport.
- 60% are in favour of indexing energy prices to the level of consumption per household: the more you consume, the more expensive energy becomes.
These are some of the key 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, Swedes 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 Swedes last year, concerns over the increased cost of living now predominate, with 52% citing it as their top concern, compared with 36% across the rest of the European Union.
Concerns over climate change come right after inflation (33% consider it to be the biggest challenge). In addition, 58% of Swedes now say they feel the effects of climate change on their daily lives.
74% 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, 73% feel that Sweden is reacting too slowly, but 43% still think that Sweden will succeed in substantially reducing its carbon emissions by 2030 (7 percentage points above the EU average of 36%).
War in Ukraine and green transition
The majority of Swedes (55%) believe that the war in Ukraine and its consequences on the price of oil and gas should accelerate the green transition (compared with the European average of 66%).
When asked to rank their energy priorities, Swedes expect their government to prioritise the further development of renewable energy (47%) before focusing on energy supply diversification to avoid being overly reliant on a single provider (35%).
Energy savings are ranked relatively low as a priority. Some Swedes (18%) believe that citizens and companies must do more to reduce their own consumption (in line with the EU average of 19%). However, the younger generation (15- to 29-year-olds) see this as slightly more important (30%).
Tackling climate change and addressing high energy prices
To reduce energy consumption, Swedes are in favour of heavily taxing highly polluting goods and services such as SUVs and air transport (63%). They also support the indexing of energy prices to the level of consumption per household (60%): the more you consume, the more expensive energy becomes.
If Swedes were to lower the temperature in their homes this winter, 27% would accept capping it at 19° C (close to the EU average of 28%). Meanwhile, 21% of Swedes say that they already cannot afford to heat their homes properly.
Finally, on addressing high energy prices, 44% of Swedes think that in the short term the Swedish authorities should reduce energy-related taxes (60% among far-right sympathisers). Other measures are less popular, such as encouraging energy saving through public campaigns (21%), capping or regulating the prices of gas, oil and coal (20%), or giving out energy vouchers (7%).
EIB Vice-President Thomas Östros said: “Ahead of the COP27 climate conference, the results of the EIB 2022 Climate Survey show that Swedes believe that further developing renewable energy should be the priority in fighting the global energy and climate crisis. At the EIB, the EU climate bank, we have been supporting innovative Swedish clean-energy investments and energy-saving plans for many years. For example, one of our recently financed projects, in September this year, a SEK 800 million loan to SKB for building low-energy houses in Stockholm. And more is to come – we stand ready to use our full range of advisory and financial instruments to support Sweden in 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.