European citizens have a diminished perception of the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS). A recent survey carried out by CAPABLE, an EU-funded initiative, together with the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), reveals that Europeans hold mixed views on 15 climate change policies.

According to the survey, only 36% of respondents view the EU ETS positively. Support is highest in Denmark (44%) and Hungary (44%), followed closely by Spain (43%), while in the Czech Republic just 16% hold a favorable opinion.

On the other hand, EU citizens show strong support for an EU Railway Fund (70%), which “could allow the expansion of the rail network and lower the cost of train fares within Europe,” as well as for mandatory household insulation (55%) and a ban on fossil-fuel private planes (55%).

A closer look at socio-demographics shows that women, younger people, and those with higher levels of education are consistently more likely to support all the climate policies included in the survey, across every country studied.

The data was collected between 24 June and 27 August 2024, and includes responses from 19,328 individuals representing the general populations of Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.

These findings highlight a trend observed in recent years among EU citizens facing high energy costs. As a result, the climate agenda has moved down the EU’s list of priorities, with rising concerns over the costs of the green transition pushing security and competitiveness to the forefront.