Capping individual consumption
Less than half of Swedish respondents (45%) 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.). Nearly the same rate of Danish respondents share this opinion (47%), while only 40% of Finnish participants would be in favour. In contrast, 56% of German respondents say they 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, 72% of Swedes are in favour of labelling all food products with their climate footprint. This is identical to the rate in Denmark (72%), but 10 percentage points above the rate in Finland (62%).
In addition, 60% of Swedes say they would be willing to pay slightly more for food that is produced locally and more sustainably (slightly above Finns, with 55%, and Danes, with 53%). This willingness to pay more for food spans all income groups (ranging from 57% of lower-income respondents to 63% of higher-income respondents).
Reducing the consumption of meat and dairy products would be another efficient way to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Yet just under half of Swedish respondents (47%) would be in favour of limiting the amount of meat and dairy products that people can buy (13 percentage points more than Finns, with 34%, but only slightly more than Danes, with 44%).
In the words of EIB Vice-President Thomas Östros, “The outcome of the EIB Climate Survey shows that Swedes 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. In 2022, we supported green projects in Sweden with €770 million. We will continue to support projects and initiatives that accelerate the green transition 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 European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union and is owned by the EU Member States. 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.
EIB Global is the EIB Group’s new specialised arm devoted to increasing the impact of international partnerships and development finance. EIB Global is designed to foster strong, focused partnerships within Team Europe, alongside fellow development finance institutions and civil society. EIB Global brings the Group closer to local people, companies and institutions through our offices around the world.
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.