Polish consumers by and large support the energy transition, but it needs to be affordable, according to a new survey by the E.ON Foundation, conducted alongside the Civey Institute.
As the survey found, close to three quarters (72%) of Polish respondents believe the energy transition will support the country’s long-term prosperity, while more than three fifths (63%) view the EU target of achieving climate neutrality by 2050 positively. Support for withdrawing from international climate agreements has fallen to 46%.
As the survey noted, in Poland, there has been a ‘clear shift’ from general acceptance of the need for the energy transition, to a more pragmatic assessment of costs and benefits.
‘Conditional energy transition’
“The survey results show that Poland is currently undergoing a conditional energy transition,” commented Andrzej Modzelewski, CEO of E.ON Polska and the E.ON Foundation in Poland.
“Poles do not reject it, but expect it to be conducted responsibly. It must be understood by society not as a burden, but as an investment in security and cost predictability, system resilience, and greater energy independence. These factors will determine the pace and scale of change in the coming years.”
Other findings from the study include that more than seven in ten (72%) Poles believe that they can still individually contribute to climate protection, however an element of ‘change fatigue’ is also evident, with the willingness to engage in activities that require greater effort – or additional costs – decreasing.
European view
At a European level, some 75% of respondents say that they are ‘concerned’ about the impact of climate change on future generations, while 82% expect governments to take more decisive action in the energy transition.
However, here too, support for climate measures is increasingly conditional on delivering affordable energy and maintaining security of supply.
“We are observing growing skepticism towards simplistic promises in climate policy,” added Stephan Muschick, president of the E.ON Foundation in Germany. “At the same time, emotional awareness of the challenges of climate change is growing, driven primarily by concern for future generations. However, in everyday life, we see a clear weariness with the necessity of making sacrifices.
“People expect more than ever that solutions will be socially just and financially predictable, and that politicians will provide a stable framework for action.” Read more here.
