Majority of Europeans Support EU Energy Transition: Survey

A majority of European Union (EU) citizens support the bloc’s energy transition and expect massive investment in renewables, the latest Eurobarometer survey said on Monday.

The “Spring 2023 – Standard Eurobarometer,” commissioned by the European Commission, shows that 85 percent EU citizens think that the bloc should invest massively in renewable energies, such as wind and solar power, and 82 percent says that increasing the energy efficiency of buildings, transport products and processes will make the Union less dependent on energy producers.

In addition, 80 percent believe that the EU member states should jointly buy energy from other countries to get a better price.

Eighty-one percent of respondents agree that reducing oil and gas imports and investing in renewable energy are important for the EU’s overall security and 82 percent say that the EU should reduce its dependency on Russian sources of energy as soon as possible.

Forty-five percent of the respondents think that the situation of the European economy is good, slightly outweighing the number those who consider it bad (44 percent). According to 27 percent, “rising prices/inflation/cost of living” are among the most important issues facing the EU today.

The survey found that 47 percent of the EU population tend to trust the union, against 45 percent, who hold an opposing view; and 45 percent have a positive image of the bloc (against 18 percent negative and 37 percent neutral).

Sixty-three percent of the respondents considered themselves optimistic about the future of the bloc, against 34 percent, who were pessimistic.

The face-to-face survey was conducted between May 31 and June 21, 2023, across the 27 EU member states. A total of 26,425 EU citizens were interviewed.