A YouGov poll conducted across six European nations reveals widespread acceptance of human-caused climate change, with belief in the phenomenon ranging from 69% in Germany to 80% in France. The survey, released ahead of the Cop31 climate conference in Turkey, found that skepticism remains limited, with only 1-4% of respondents denying climate change entirely and 14-20% accepting it occurs but attributing it to natural causes rather than human activity.
Large majorities across all surveyed countries—ranging from 79-89%—expressed the view that international cooperation represents the most effective pathway for addressing the climate crisis. Within the European Union, support emerged for climate policy decisions to be made at the bloc level rather than by individual nations, with backing ranging from 50-54% in France, Italy, and Germany to 61% in Denmark and 64% in Spain.
Concern about the climate crisis reached substantial levels, with 65-83% of respondents in each country reporting worry about the issue. Notably, concern intensified during the summer months, particularly in France where worry increased from 74% in April to 83% by mid-August. The proportion describing themselves as “very worried” in France similarly climbed from 28% to 42% during this period, though levels have since moderated in other nations.
Regarding prospects for addressing climate impacts, pluralities in most countries felt it remained possible to prevent the worst outcomes, though this would require significant shifts in approach. However, support for climate measures proved selective. Measures avoiding direct personal impact—such as tree planting, energy efficiency subsidies, plastic bans, and emissions taxes on large corporations—garnered approval. Conversely, policies directly affecting consumer behavior, including fuel duty increases, dietary restrictions, aviation taxes, and vehicle bans, faced opposition. This pattern held when respondents considered actions they would personally undertake, favoring low-cost measures like home gardening over costly or inconvenient steps.
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