Study: German population supports climate protection, but is concerned about social cohesion and distribution of costs

Study: German population supports climate protection, but is concerned about social cohesion and distribution of costs

According to a report by www.tagesschau.de,

A study by the Bertelsmann Foundation has shown that a large majority of Germans support climate protection, but are concerned about social cohesion and the economic impact. Although 69 percent of respondents support the energy transition, they express concerns about its implementation. More than half of those surveyed fear that the energy and transport transition could endanger social cohesion. Furthermore, only around 20 percent perceive the transformation to be fair and see an unfair distribution of benefits and costs.

According to the analysis in collaboration with the Research Institute for Sustainability Helmholtz Center Potsdam (RIFS), 69 percent of Germans support the energy transition, i.e. the switch from fossil to renewable energies. When it comes to the transport transition, approval is not quite as high at 56 percent. 12 percent completely reject the energy transition, while 19 percent reject the transport transition.

Those surveyed expressed great concerns about implementation. More than half of those surveyed (55 percent) see social cohesion at risk due to the energy and transport transition. According to the survey, almost 40 percent of Germans fear that the energy and transport transition will pose a threat to Germany's prosperity and economic performance. This group grew by ten percentage points in 2023 compared to the previous year. Only around 20 percent perceive the transformation as fair.

The study makes it clear that it is necessary to design climate protection measures in a socially balanced manner in order to maintain social cohesion. It is very important to distribute the costs and benefits fairly in order to increase acceptance of the energy transition and the transport transition.

The study was carried out in collaboration with the Research Institute for Sustainability Helmholtz Center Potsdam and is based on representative data from the Social Sustainability Barometer of the Energy and Transport Transition of 2023, for which 6,500 people were surveyed online every year.