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 Denmark, 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
- Danes rank sixth in the EU27 (score of 6.76/10), 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). Denmark ranks immediately after Croatia and ahead of Ireland in a knowledge test on the causes and consequences of climate change and solutions to address it.
- Generational gap: Danes over 50 know much more than younger generations when it comes to the causes and consequences of climate change and solutions to address it.
- Overall knowledge gaps: Danish people are well aware of the causes and consequences of climate change but there is room for improvement in their knowledge about solutions. Similarly to the findings in most EU countries, a large share of Danish respondents did not know that reducing speed limits on roads (74%) or better insulating buildings (57%) 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, Danish people scored well above the EU average (7.71/10 compared to 7.21/10), ranking fourth in the European Union.
When it came to defining climate change, most Danish respondents (83%, 12 percentage points above the EU average) selected the correct definition (“A long-term shift in global climate patterns”), while only 6% believe that climate change is a hoax.
- Three-quarters (74%) are also aware that the main causes of climate change are human activities such as deforestation, agriculture, industry and transport. Meanwhile, over a quarter of the respondents got it wrong (16% thinking it is caused by extreme natural phenomena, such as volcanic eruptions and heatwaves, and 10% believing that climate change is caused by the ozone hole).
- When asked about the three biggest greenhouse gas emitters worldwide, most Danes (75%) correctly selected the United States, China and India.
How aware are people of the consequences of climate change?
When asked about the consequences of climate change, Danes scored 7.78/10 (ranking 11th in the European Union), slightly above the EU average (7.65/10).
- 75% know that it 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% also correctly said that climate change is worsening world hunger by affecting crop yields due to extreme weather.
- Regarding the impact of climate change on sea levels, 79% of Danish respondents correctly said that the global sea level is rising, but a fifth (21%) got it wrong: more specifically, 8% of respondents said that it is falling and 13% said that climate change has no specific impact on the sea level.
- The impact of climate change on migration, with increased forced displacement worldwide, is clear for nearly three-quarters (73%) of Danish respondents.
Knowledge of how to combat climate change varies
In the last sub-index, Danish respondents scored 4.79/10, above the EU average of 4.25/10 but still indicating 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 Denmark fourth out of 27 EU countries.
- Most Danes (72%) know that using recyclable products ultimately reduces CO2 emissions. 62% also correctly said that using public transport instead of an individual car is a step in the right direction.
- More than half of respondents (57%, 15 percentage points above the EU average) are also aware that buying new clothes less frequently can help mitigate climate change.
- But only a minority (43%) are aware that better insulating buildings can help as well.
- Only a quarter (26%) of respondents seem to know that reducing the speed limit on roads would help mitigate climate change.
- Finally, most Danes are unaware of the significant CO2 emissions related to digital usage, with only 11% (still 2 percentage points above the EU average) saying that watching fewer videos online can contribute to fighting climate change.
Like in most countries in Europe, only a minority of Danes (48%) 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.”
Generational gap
Knowledge about climate change varies depending on different aspects of people’s sociodemographic profiles. One of the most notable correlations is with age. Danes over 50 know much more than younger generations when it comes to the causes and consequences of climate change and solutions to address it, scoring 7.28/10 overall compared to 6.35/10 for people below 50. In some areas, this generational gap in knowledge is significant.
- There is a significant generational gap in people’s understanding of the definition and causes of climate change (8.36 for over 50s compared to 7.20 for under 50s).
- This gap is even more notable on the second sub-index about the consequences of climate change (8.59 for over 50s compared to 7.15 for under 50s).
- The difference in scores is less significant when it comes to what can be done to fight climate change (4.90 for over 50s compared to 4.70 for under 50s).
As the EU's financing arm, the EIB is investing in major projects in Denmark that are supporting the country's green transition. Recent examples include massive investments to further expand the country’s offshore wind energy sector by supporting Vestas, Ørsted and RWE, increasing Denmark’s role as a green energy powerhouse in Europe. The EIB has also partnered with Danish railways to improve the international connectivity of its network and finance new commuter trains, which is expected to limit car-dependency. Green investments made up 56% of the EIB Group’s investments in 2023, which totaled €1.44 billion.
EIB Vice-President Thomas Östros: “Climate change can only be limited if we work together. It is important to identify and address the knowledge gaps found in the EIB Climate Survey. 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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