Milan Ščasný published an article in the prestigious journal Nature Communications

What do Europeans think about economic growth and climate policy?

Economic growth remains strongly supported by Europeans—even as the debate about moving beyond growth gains momentum. This is one of the key findings of a new study co-authored by our researcher Milan Ščasný together with Ivan Savin, Lewis C. King, Jeroen van den Bergh, Thijs Bouman and E. Keith Smith, published in Nature Communications.

The study, based on a survey of 16,781 people in 13 EU countries, explores how Europeans view economic growth and its role in building a sustainable society. The results show that almost 60% of EU citizens consider economic growth necessary for a sustainable society, while only around 8% are growth-sceptical. These figures reveal a striking gap between public opinion and the increasingly prominent post-growth debate among climate policy researchers.

Support for economic growth varies across Europe. Citizens in wealthier and more equal countries tend to see continued growth as less necessary, suggesting that once material needs and social welfare are broadly secured, the perceived importance of further growth may decline. At the same time, support for growth is associated not only with values such as achievement and power, but also with benevolence and equality. Citizens may therefore see economic growth not simply as a source of personal prosperity, but also as a way to support wider social wellbeing and fairness.

The study also challenges the idea that support for economic growth necessarily conflicts with climate action. Attitudes towards growth are not significantly related to climate concern or overall support for climate policy. They do, however, influence which solutions people prefer. Pro-growth respondents are more likely to favour subsidies and public investment, while growth-sceptical and growth-indifferent citizens tend to support direct regulatory measures, including bans.

The findings suggest an important lesson for policymakers: building broad public support for decarbonisation may depend less on the debate over economic growth and more on how climate policies are designed. Policies that take into account different public values and expectations may have a better chance of gaining widespread support.

Download the article here.