Attitudes on climate change and on energy policies in two European countries: A sociological approach

Public engagement has been considered key to sustainable energy transitions and action to tackle climate change, as effective policy strategies require public support and acceptance. However, public perspectives on the challenges of climate change and energy transition still need to be better explored, and effective public engagement should not be taken for granted. Specific socio-political contexts, infrastructures, and practices, among other factors, may condition the acceptance and adoption of changes. In this presentation, we highlight climate justice and energy justice as well as gender differences as relevant frameworks to understand issues that may arise as forms of resistance to energy transitions and climate policies, as well as to point out that such changes may aggravate forms of inequity, and lack of trust. We do this by analysing data from the latest edition of the European Social Survey. We focus on two countries: Belgium and Portugal, to investigate how high levels of concern about climate change and support for renewable energy relate to the divide between people with low income, and the more educated and well off.