Vattenfall Energy Barometer: Rising environmental consciousness among Europeans

"The results show that the surveyed citizens in Europe are very environmentally conscious and have durably changed their mindsets. The new normal is to do what you can, small or big, to lower and improve your energy consumption. The ambition to live more climate friendly is widely spread all among all age groups and countries. At the same time, people are concerned about whether they will be able to afford the costs of the energy transition, and costs savings are important to them," says Alexander van Ofwegen, Head of Customers & Solutions at Vattenfall.

Environmental consciousness is high, with 84 % of respondents across countries wanting to lead a climate-friendly life. The most common actions are to minimize waste and cutting their energy use by e.g. lowering indoor temperatures, using LED-lights and taking shorter showers.

Almost all of the respondents (96 %) have adapted their energy habits to protect the environment, e.g. by using fewer lights or cooking with a lid. In addition, over nine tenths have invested in things like more efficient lights, water saving shower heads, or improved insulation for the same purpose.

The environmental consciousness may correlate with the fact that as many as 56 % of all respondents say they have personally noticed the effects of climate change in their daily life in the form of more extreme weather events. Most in France (63 %) and fewest in Sweden (45 %). Among other changes people experience, 64% in all countries answer rising temperatures and 34 % refer to changes in wildlife and plant life they personally have noticed in their daily life.

“When you are personally affected you are more likely to act. As many state they have been affected by climate change, energy crisis and higher costs, it has led to higher consciousness of energy usage than before. The saving efforts that started around the energy crisis seem to persist and that is good news,” says Alexander van Ofwegen.

When it comes to age differences, older generations (51 years and above) in all countries are more likely to invest in established energy-efficient products like LED lights and draft stoppers, while younger generations (18 – 35 years) are more interested in new technologies like smart homes smart home solutions and charging stations.

“The results show that Europeans continue to prioritize climate-friendly lifestyles, but there are significant variations between countries in how these priorities are manifested in practice,” says Alexander van Ofwegen.

On behalf of Vattenfall, the research institute Statista surveyed 6,000 representatively selected consumers between October 10^th and 22^nd in six European countries; Germany, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK.

More results from the survey:
To consume less energy, consumers have made a wide range of behavioural changes in their everyday life:

• Using less light was most often mentioned as reduction measure in France (81 %), Finland (79 %) and the UK (75 %).
• Environmental protection is the main motivation in all countries, with French (53%) and Finns (45%) scoring the highest.
• Over a quarter of Dutch and Germans are also motivated by cost savings and 23% of Swedes see a climate-friendly life as a social responsibility.
• 75 % of Germans cook with a lid.
• 78 % of French consumers lower the temperature at home.
• Consumers in the Nordics are less flexible to adapt their heating behaviour. 56 % in Sweden and 55 % in Finland reduce temperatures at home. 47 % of the Swedes and 46 % of the Finnish heat only the most frequently used rooms.
• Two out of three take shorter showers. And one out of three take colder showers.
• 40 % of the British go to bed earlier than they used to do and 27 % of the French spend less time home in order to save energy.
• The French (87%) believe that in order to protect the climate effectively, every single individual needs to take action. In Finland 81% and in the Netherlands 76% think so.

Many consumers have made investments to reduce energy consumption:

• 75 % have switched to LED lights.
• 59 % of the Dutch have invested in solar panels and 57 % of the Swedes want to do so.
• 13 % of the Germans have bought a vehicle charging station (wall box) and 49 % say they would like to invest in the future.

For further information, please contact:
Vattenfall´s Press Office, +46 8-739 50 10, press@vattenfall.com