Concerns about the economy and security have partly displaced Germans' worries about climate change. At the same time, scepticism is growing in the country about the way the so-called historic energy transition is currently being carried out in Germany. This is borne out by a survey commissioned by the BMW Herbert Quandt Foundation. At present, 33% of the population are "very worried" about climate change, compared with roughly 50% in surveys from 2019 to 2022.
"The survey results show that public opinion is increasingly divided between the long-term need to act on climate and short-term fears about the financial burden and economic stability," the BMW Herbert Quandt Foundation notes.
German society is convinced that there is no alternative to the energy transition, the survey's organisers stress, while adding that "even among supporters of the energy transition, there is growing doubt as to whether German policymakers are choosing the right measures and the right pace". Within a single year, the share of energy transition supporters who believe Germany is taking the right measures has fallen from 52% to 33%, while 26% of respondents are unsure, compared with 14% previously.
A relative majority of Germans still consider the energy transition to be the right choice, even though support for it has fallen considerably. Around 43% of those surveyed said that phasing out nuclear power and expanding the use of renewable energy is the right policy direction, compared with 73% in 2012. For the first time, a comparatively large share of Germans associate the energy transition primarily with risks rather than opportunities. Their concerns relate mainly to rising energy prices, changes to the landscape and uncertainty about security of energy supply.
About 37% of respondents believe Germany is on the wrong track. Criticism is especially widespread in eastern Germany and among supporters of the populist far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the business-friendly Free Democratic Party (FDP).
The results of the survey conducted for the BMW Herbert Quandt Foundation show that more than three quarters of respondents believe Germany's energy transition will place a heavy financial burden on both households and the economy: "Many fear the negative impact on Germany's competitiveness, on traditional industries and on jobs, while only a small proportion expect significant economic benefits or a fall in electricity prices".
Despite the growing scepticism about how the energy transition is being implemented, public support in Germany for state involvement in it remains quite substantial. "Most believe the government should support the expansion of renewable energy and citizen-led energy projects. Solar power systems are seen as a particularly important contribution to energy security."
Several other studies likewise indicate that so-called comprehensive climate action has lost ground on the list of policy priorities held by the German public. Understandably, Germans currently give precedence to addressing the worsening economic outlook, the war Russia launched in Ukraine, geopolitical instability and the consequences of the pandemic. The policy pursued by Brussels is revealing many unpleasant aspects, which Europe's leading economy is also having to confront. German doubts about the implementation of Green Deal policy are rising rapidly, while concern about climate issues is diminishing markedly.