Attitudes Towards Climate Change and Energy Demand: Evidence from the European Social Survey

Giacomo Campagnola, Bruno S. Sergi and Emiliano Sironi ()
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Giacomo Campagnola: Department of Economics, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK
Bruno S. Sergi: Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Emiliano Sironi: Department of Statistical Sciences, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Gemelli 1, 20123 Milan, Italy

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 10, 1-18

Abstract: Climate change is one of the most pressing issues on the public policy agenda. Employing data from rounds 8 and 10 of the European Social Survey, this paper examines the relationship between the perception of Europeans towards climate change and the limitation of energy consumption. An ordered logit model shows that socio-demographic characteristics are strongly related to attitudes towards climate change: female, more educated, and left-leaning respondents display, on average, higher levels of worry and personal responsibility for addressing climate change. However, the relationship between these predictors with greater support for energy reduction measures is non-trivial. Through our unique dataset, the study investigates the evolution of attitudes towards private energy consumption reduction over time. Although beliefs are becoming more positive across Europe, personal responsibility to address climate change seems to play an especially pivotal role in Eastern countries. Policy implications are discussed in light of these results.

Keywords: climate change; energy demand; European Social Survey; individual attitudes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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