Voters want to be greener, but without making sacrifices: survey

Dutch people support a strong policy against climate change, howeve, they do not believe they should bear the burden. This is according to a survey commissioned by De Volkskrant and published on Wednesday.

The majority of Dutch voters acknowledge the necessity for robust climate policies and view climate change as a significant issue. However, they believe the financial responsibility for these policies should primarily fall on businesses and the wealthiest individuals, rather than on themselves, with only 40 percent willing to endure a lower standard of living or make personal financial sacrifices to address climate change.

“You can clearly see that people are looking for the strongest shoulders to bear these burdens. Companies and richer people. How to tackle climate policy fairly is clearly a major challenge for politicians,” I&O researcher Maartje van de Koppel said.

The majority of citizens believe they should play a limited role in climate action, primarily due to concerns that measures should not significantly impact them financially. The exception is found with high-earners where a majority is ready to sacrifice prosperity to combat climate change.

Beyond income, young, well-educated, and left-progressive voters are more receptive to more ambitious climate policy and are generally willing to make concessions for it. On the contrary, there is notable resistance among right-wing conservative voters who favor maintaining the current climate policy, except for nuclear energy, which they strongly support.

Finally, researcher Peter Kanne from I&O also noted a significant shift since the last elections, with voters now prioritizing housing, healthcare, migration, and poverty reduction over climate issues. Consequently, public opinion on climate policy is expected to have a reduced impact on the agenda of the next Cabinet, according to him.