A recent YouGov poll, conducted across six European countries, reveals that most Europeans believe human-made climate change is real and that action is needed soon. However, this support for climate action is often conditional on not having to make substantial personal sacrifices.
The survey found that between 69% (Germany) and 80% (France) of respondents in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK believe the climate is changing as a result of human activity. Only a small percentage, 1%-4%, denied climate change, while 14-20% believed it was changing but not due to human activity.
Worry about the climate crisis was prevalent, with majorities of 65% to 83% in each country surveyed expressing concern, including 23%-42% who were "very worried." The poll noted an increase in concern during the summer's heatwaves, with France seeing an uptick from 74% worried in April to 83% in mid-August, a level maintained last month. Similarly, the number of "very worried" French people rose from 28% in April to a record 42% in August, also holding steady last month. However, concern in other countries, such as Germany, spiked in August but has since decreased.
Regarding specific climate actions, measures that do not directly affect people's daily lives were the most popular. These included planting more trees, subsidising energy efficiency, banning single-use plastics, and taxing big emitters. Conversely, proposals such as increasing fuel duty, limiting meat and dairy consumption, taxing air fares, and banning new petrol and diesel cars faced opposition.
The polling also indicated that vast majorities (79-89%) in the surveyed countries believe international cooperation would be more effective in combating the climate crisis. In EU countries, 50-64% of respondents felt that climate action decisions should be made at the EU level rather than nationally.