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A recent YouGov survey conducted across six European countries reveals that while a significant majority of citizens acknowledge the reality of human-made climate change, there is a clear preference for climate policies that do not require major personal sacrifices. The findings indicate that while respondents are worried about the climate crisis, their support for specific measures depends heavily on how directly those actions affect their daily lives.
Public Perception and Concern
The polling, which covered Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK, found that between 69% and 80% of respondents believe the climate is changing. Only a tiny fraction, ranging from 1% to 4%, deny the phenomenon, while 14% to 20% attribute climate shifts to factors other than human activity. Scientists have noted that Europe is currently the fastest-warming continent, with human-driven fossil fuel consumption linked to an increase in extreme weather events like heatwaves, droughts, and storms.
Across the surveyed nations, between 65% and 83% of people expressed concern regarding the climate crisis. YouGov observed a notable spike in this anxiety during the summer heatwaves. In France, for example, the number of people describing themselves as “very worried” reached a record high of 42% in August, maintaining that level through last month. Similar, though less sustained, spikes in concern were recorded in other countries during the summer months.
International Cooperation and Policy Preferences
There is strong consensus on the need for international collaboration, with 79% to 89% of respondents agreeing that countries are more effective at combating the crisis when working together. Within the EU, there is a preference for climate decision-making to occur at the European level rather than through individual national governments. This sentiment was held by 50% to 54% of respondents in France, Italy, and Germany, rising to 61% in Denmark and 64% in Spain.
Regarding the feasibility of averting the worst impacts of the crisis, 45% to 63% of those surveyed believe it is not yet too late, provided there is a drastic shift in current approaches. Only 11% to 24% of participants felt that the situation was already beyond repair, while a small minority of 9% to 20% believed current measures are sufficient.
Support for Climate Measures
The survey highlighted a clear divide in public support for specific climate policies. Measures that do not directly disrupt personal routines—such as planting trees, providing subsidies for energy efficiency, banning single-use plastics, and implementing taxes on major industrial emitters—received broad approval.
Conversely, policies that impose direct costs or lifestyle changes faced significant opposition. Respondents generally opposed increasing fuel duties, limiting the consumption of meat and dairy products, taxing air travel, and banning the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles. This trend extended to personal habits; while many were willing to create green spaces at home or eat seasonal produce, there was little appetite for shopping exclusively for secondhand goods or paying higher prices for flights.
