Dutch prioritize tackling the decline in purchasing power over investing in the energy transition
• When weighing between maintaining purchasing power and preventing global warming, 41% of the Dutch respondents say that climate policy should not come at the expense of a decline in purchasing power. Of the respondents, 40% find the fight against climate change more important than maintaining purchasing power, 19% say they do not know.
• 76% of the Dutch say they are very or quite worried about climate change.
• The majority of Dutch respondents find financial incentives that reward positive behavior to be the most effective policy to reduce the CO2 footprint.
• 62% of Dutch respondents are worried that efforts to combat global warming generate social inequalities.
Research by Ipsos shows that for many Dutch people, maintaining purchasing power is more important than the fight against climate change. On behalf of BNP Paribas Group, Ipsos researched in ten European countries, among other things, what Europeans consider a just energy transition. When weighing between maintaining purchasing power and preventing global warming, 40% of respondents say that the fight against climate change is more important than maintaining purchasing power, 41% opt for protecting purchasing power at the expense of tackling climate change, 19% indicate they do not know. Of all Europeans, only the Belgians opt even more emphatically for maintaining purchasing power (46%) than the Dutch. In Italy, the prevention of global warming is chosen most (58%).
When we look at how concerned Europeans are about climate change, the Italians top the list: 88% of respondents are very to quite worried. The Netherlands is a middle player in this list and comes in fifth place with 76% of the total 10 countries studied. There is a discrepancy between the concerns that the Dutch have and what they are willing to do. In Spain, the fewest respondents are worried, only 60% say they are very or quite worried about climate change.
In response to the question of what respondents think is a good way to encourage people to reduce global warming, the Dutch have the most confidence in financial incentives that reward positive behavior. 76% of respondents say this is the best way. Using taxes to discourage behaviors that are bad for the climate scores, despite 60% of respondents considering this a good way, ranks lowest among the Dutch. This is in line with the European average.
62% of Dutch respondents fear inequality as a result of efforts to combat global warming. They are particularly concerned about the differences between the wealthy and the poorest groups of people (71%) and between different countries (65%).
“The research shows that people are very concerned about both the purchasing power crisis and the climate crisis. This underscores the importance of a fair energy transition, where good alternatives are offered and the costs are not passed on to the financially most vulnerable who are often also the smallest polluters. A fair energy transition is therefore not only a matter of justice, but also essential for maintaining support. If people feel disproportionately affected by the costs of the energy transition, this can lead to resistance to important climate initiatives. Measures such as rewarding cheaper forms of transport are perceived as positive and can contribute to support.”
Want to learn more about BNP Paribas’ initiatives to support the Just Transition? Go to How does BNP Paribas take action for a just transition? – BNP Paribas (group.bnpparibas)