The European Union has set itself the ambitious goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. A key principle in the transition to a carbon-neutral economy is to ensure that "no one is left behind". While there is broad support for this just green transition, implementing policies to achieve it faces significant challenges. It is therefore crucial for policymakers to understand what motivates citizens to support climate action and to actively engage.

The situation is complicated by existing inequalities. Wealthier households in the EU contribute significantly more to the environmental footprint of consumption compared to those with lower incomes. Vulnerable groups also face a “double injustice” – they contribute the least to climate change, but are disproportionately affected not only by its impacts but also by policies that are not based on climate justice principles.

Despite the fact that the vast majority of Europeans (89 %) support a green transition that leaves no one behind, less than half (46 %) believe that by 2050 sustainable energy products and services will be affordable for everyone, including poorer people. Most Europeans are concerned about climate change (70 %) and feel a personal responsibility to act (77 %), but only 37 % believe that many people in their country are ready to reduce energy consumptionThis contradiction suggests that concerns and feelings are not always easily translated into real actions.

Barriers to action can be divided into two main groups: those associated with affordability and access (e.g. cost, time, insufficient infrastructure) and with behavior, information, and cultural norms (e.g. insufficient information, social norms, established habits).

Study analyzing Eurobarometer data divides citizens into four groups based on their willingness a abilities pay more to accelerate the green transition. The largest group is those who are both willing and able (35 %), followed by those who would be willing but cannot afford it (27 %). The group that is not willing to pay more is divided into those who could afford it (19 %) and those who cannot afford it (19 %). The findings suggest that Willingness to act, not just ability, is a key factor influencing the level of support for policies.

Europeans generally support the proposed policies to limit climate change. The most supported are investments in public transport, subsidies for home renovation for vulnerable groups and incentives for businesses.On the contrary, The least popular measures are personal energy quotas and environmental taxes with income redistribution., probably because they involve direct costs for consumers or require significant lifestyle changes.

The transition from policy support to actual individual engagement is crucial. Analysis of engagement in sustainable transport and energy efficiency measures showed that the willing and able group shows above-average engagement in both areas. Interestingly, the unwilling and unable group engages in sustainable transport more than the EU average or the willing and able group. This suggests that the choice of sustainable transport may be motivated by need or cost savings for this group.

Key factors influencing support and engagement include socio-demographic, economic, behavioral aspects, and perceptions of fairness. For example, climate anxiety, green identity a sense of personal responsibility positively correlated with both policy support and engagement (e.g. in the area of energy efficiency).

It is also important trust: trust in the availability of affordable green systems increases support for most policies and the use of sustainable transport, but may reduce the urgency to adopt energy efficiency measures at home. Trust in widespread green behaviour increases support for business and redistribution policies, as well as the adoption of energy efficiency measures. Peer influence (conditional cooperation) also motivates the adoption of energy efficiency measures.

Perception justice also significantly influences how people act and support policies. Those who feel personal responsibility and are willing to accept personal costs for the collective good, are more likely to support policies and adopt energy efficiency measures. Those who perceive inequality, are likely to support policies focused on public infrastructure and redistribution and engage more in sustainable transport. Higher perception of procedural justice (the government takes citizens' opinions into account) correlates with greater support for less popular policies such as environmental taxes/redistribution and energy quotas.

The success of the green transition requires more than just broad support for the goal. It is essential to understand and address the diverse barriers – both economic and behavioural – and to take into account the perceptions of fairness of different groups of citizens. Policies must be designed to be perceived as fair, to support the willingness to act and to strengthen citizens’ capacity to engage, including through targeted communication and trust-building. Spring

Glossary of key terms

• Green transition: The transition to an environmentally sustainable economy and society, which often involves changes in the energy system, industry, transport and consumption.
• Willingness-affordability matrix: The framework used to divide respondents into four groups based on their willingness to pay higher energy prices to support the green transition and their ability to afford it.
• Pro-environmental behaviours: Individual actions that contribute to environmental protection and sustainability, such as using sustainable transport or taking energy efficiency measures.
• Climate anxiety: Chronic fear or distress about the impacts of climate change, which can influence behavior and support for policies.
• Trust: In the context of the green transition, it refers to trust in the availability and affordability of sustainable products and services (systemic trust on the supply side) and trust that other people will adopt a more sustainable lifestyle (systemic trust on the demand side).
• Conditional cooperation: The tendency of individuals to engage more in beneficial actions (such as pro-environmental actions) when they observe others doing the same.
• Environmental identity (Green identity): The individual's own identification with environmental values and sustainable practices.
• Self-efficacy: An individual's belief in their own ability and skills to contribute to environmental protection.
• Personal control: The perception that individuals have control over their decisions and life circumstances, which can influence their willingness to act.
• Distributive justice: The perception of justice in the distribution of resources and outcomes among individuals or groups, often characterized by the principles of need, equality, and merit (although the text primarily emphasizes need and equality).
• Need: The principle of distributive justice, which favors the distribution of resources to those most in need.
• Perceived equality: The principle of distributive justice, which favors reducing inequalities, e.g. in the initial conditions of individuals.
• Procedural justice: Perceptions of fairness in the decision-making process that leads to a particular action, such as inclusion of citizen opinions and transparency.
• Personal carbon allowance (PCA): The concept of allocating equal, tradable carbon allowances to individual citizens that decrease over time in line with national targets.
• Energy efficiency: Reducing the amount of energy needed to provide products and services.
• Sustainable transport: Modes of transport that have minimal environmental impact, such as public transport, cycling and walking.