Capping individual consumption
A majority of Slovenian respondents (52%) say they would be in favour of a carbon budget system that would allocate each individual a fixed number of yearly credits to be spent on items with a big carbon footprint (non-essential goods, flights, meat, etc.). This opinion is shared by 56% of Austrian respondents and 58% of Croatian respondents, whereas only 47% of Hungarian participants would welcome such a system.
Food labelling and pricing
Food production accounts for a significant share of greenhouse gas emissions. To help people make more sustainable choices when grocery shopping, 77% of Slovenes are in favour of labelling all food products with their climate footprint. This is identical to the rate in Croatia, but 5 percentage points above the rate in Hungary (72%).
In addition, 60% of Slovenes say they would be willing to pay slightly more for food that is produced locally and more sustainably (9 percentage points below the rate in Croatia, with 69%, but 8 percentage points above Hungary, with 52%). This willingness to pay more for food spans all income groups.
Just under half of Slovenes (44%, 7 percentage points below the EU average of 51%) would be in favour of limiting the amount of meat and dairy products that people can buy.
In the words of EIB Vice-President Lilyana Pavlova, “The outcome of the EIB Climate Survey shows that Slovenes are more than willing to help fight climate change at the individual level. As the EU climate bank, we welcome this commitment. It is our role to enable people to take action against the climate crisis. We do this by financing green services such as sustainable transport, renewable energy and energy-efficient buildings. We will continue to support projects and initiatives that accelerate the green transition through our financial and advisory services, and are looking for innovative ways to contribute to a prosperous future that leaves no one behind.”
Background information
About the EIB Climate Survey
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has now performed the fifth annual EIB Climate Survey, a thorough assessment of how people feel about climate change. Conducted in partnership with the market research firm BVA, the fifth edition of the EIB Climate Survey aims to inform the broader debate on attitudes and expectations in terms of climate action. More than 28 000 respondents participated in the survey in August 2022, with a representative panel of people aged 15 and above for each of the 30 countries polled.
About the European Investment Bank
The EIB Group has adopted a Climate Bank Roadmap to deliver on its ambitious agenda to support €1 trillion of climate action and environmental sustainability investments in the decade to 2030, and to deliver more than 50% of EIB finance for climate action and environmental sustainability by 2025. As part of the roadmap, all new EIB Group operations have been aligned with the goals and principles of the Paris Agreement since the start of 2021.
About BVA
BVA is an opinion research and consulting firm recognised as one of the most innovative market research firms in its sector. Specialised in behavioural marketing, BVA combines data science and social science to make data inspiring and bring it to life. BVA is also a member of the Worldwide Independent Network of Market Research (WIN), a global network of some of the world’s leading market research and survey players, with over 40 members.