- Dutch respondents ranked slightly above the EU average in a knowledge test on the causes and consequences of climate change and solutions to address it.
- People aged 50 and over are more knowledgeable about climate change than younger generations.
- The causes and consequences of climate change are generally well understood, but there is still some room for progress in understanding the solutions.
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 the Netherlands, 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
- Scores: Dutch respondents scored 6.46/10, placing them slightly above the EU average of 6.37/10, in a knowledge test on the causes and consequences of climate change and solutions to address it. Among the countries polled, Finland demonstrated the highest level of knowledge (7.22/10), followed by Luxembourg (7.19/10) and Sweden (6.96/10).
- Generational differences: Dutch respondents aged 50 and over demonstrated greater knowledge of the causes and consequences of climate change than their younger counterparts.
- Overall knowledge gaps: While Dutch respondents demonstrated an understanding of the causes and consequences of climate change, their knowledge about possible solutions lags behind. This mirrors findings across Europe.
- 76% understand the negative impacts on human health.
- 83% correctly connected climate change to worsening world hunger.
- A significant share of Dutch respondents are unaware that reducing speed limits on roads (63%) and better insulating buildings (52%) can help combat climate change.
Definitions and causes of climate change
Knowledge on climate change definitions and causes among Dutch respondents is above the EU average (7.46/10 compared to 7.21/10).
- While over three-quarters of Dutch respondents (75%) correctly defined climate change as a long-term shift in global climate patterns, 17% mistakenly believe it to be short-term weather variations and 8% believe that climate change is a hoax.
- Nearly three-quarters (71%) recognise human activities such as deforestation, agriculture, industry and transport as the main culprits. The rest attribute it to natural phenomena such as volcanic eruptions and heatwaves (19%), or to the ozone hole (10%).
Consequences of climate change
Dutch respondents’ knowledge on the consequences of climate change is slightly below the EU average (7.36/10 compared to 7.65/10).
- 76% understand the negative impacts of climate change on human health, including that climate change can lead to an increase in air pollutants.
- 83% correctly connected climate change to worsening world hunger as a result of the impact of extreme weather on agriculture.
- Sea level rise is recognised by 76%, but misconceptions persist among a quarter (24%) of respondents: 15% said that climate change has no impact on the sea level and 9% believe that the global sea level is falling.
- A majority (59%) are aware that climate change fuels global migration due to forced displacement.
- 83% also correctly said that climate change is worsening world hunger by affecting crop yields due to extreme weather.
- The impact of climate change on migration, with increased forced displacement worldwide, is clear for most Dutch respondents (59%).
Solutions to climate change
Dutch respondents demonstrated a lower level of knowledge on solutions to climate change than on the other two areas investigated (causes and consequences). While still scoring above the EU average (4.56/10 compared to 4.25/10), this reflects a broader trend across the European Union, with most countries receiving low scores in this area.
- While almost three-quarters of Dutch respondents are aware of solutions such as recycling (72%), knowledge gaps remain. For example, only 51% (14 percentage points below the EU average of 65%) correctly said that using public transport instead of an individual car is a step in the right direction.
- Less than half of Dutch respondents (48%, albeit 4 percentage points above the EU average) are aware of the positive impact of building insulation. 42% are aware that buying fewer clothes can help mitigate climate change.
- There is limited knowledge among Dutch respondents of the benefits of reducing speed limits (37%, but still 11 percentage points above the EU average) or limiting digital usage (6%, 3 percentage points below the EU average of 9%) to mitigate climate change.
- Less than half (42%) correctly defined an individual’s carbon footprint as “the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions emitted by a person in a year,” in line with the results from most other countries in Europe.
Generational divide
Climate change knowledge varies by age. Dutch respondents over 50 demonstrated higher levels of knowledge overall (6.95/10) than those under 50 (6.08/10). This generational gap is statistically significant, in particular for the causes (8.06 for over 50s compared to 7.00 for younger generations) and the consequences (8.07 compared to 6.81) of climate change.
As the EU's financing arm, the EIB is investing in major Dutch projects that are supporting the country's green transition. Recent examples include investments in the new generation of NS trains, which improves public transport and cuts dependence on private cars. The EIB is also helping The Netherlands in becoming more sustainable, for example by financing wind parks, reinforcing the electricity network, and by supporting investments in energy efficiency in local hospitals. Other recent climate action projects include support for Battolyser’s new flexible electrolyser with integrated battery capacity, as well as the EIF’s support for new ways of plastic recycling that allow plastic to keep its characteristics for food safety or impermeability. Apart from financing sustainable affordable housing, the EIB has also supported provincial loan funds that award attractive loans to small businesses for sustainability investments, such as installing solar panels.
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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