A recent survey has revealed that a majority of people across five major European nations, including the UK, would prioritise the encouragement of air conditioning over efforts to reduce carbon emissions. This finding emerges after four extreme heatwaves across the continent, which reportedly caused thousands of excess deaths.
The YouGov poll, conducted in mid-July in France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain, and in early August in the UK, found that between 41% and 48% of respondents in every country except Italy stated that allowing and encouraging more air conditioning to mitigate heatwave harms should be prioritised over lowering CO2 emissions. In contrast, 20% to 33% believed the reverse.
A significant proportion of those surveyed, ranging from 61% to 73%, favoured air conditioning being installed as standard in all new homes. Additionally, between 65% and 75% supported making it easier to install air conditioning without requiring permission from local councils or landlords. Between 52% and 66% also indicated support for government subsidies for homeowners to have it installed.
The survey also highlighted that between 30% and 52% of people in six countries had feared for their household’s health in temperatures near or above 40C (104F). For those who already had air conditioning, 79% to 85% reported being able to maintain comfortable internal temperatures during recent heatwaves, compared to only 35% to 47% of those without it.
Cost was identified as the primary barrier to not having air conditioning by 51% to 75% of people in each country. The climate impact was a less significant factor, cited by 6% to 17% of respondents, with the exception of France where it was 27%.