Energy and EU citizens
EU citizens largely favour renewables while only 20% are for nuclear energy
Ahead of the release of the "Energy Package" by the Commission on Wednesday, this survey sends a strong message on the kind of energy choices the EU citizens want !
This Eurobarometer shows that 80% of EU citizens back solar energy and 71% are in favour of wind energy. Other sources of popular renewable energies include hydroelectric and ocean energy favoured by 65 percent and 60 percent, respectively, of EU citizens.
Concerning nuclear energy, a majority of 37 % oppose it while only 20% of EU citizens are in favour of nuclear energy in their country and 36% are divided on the issue. The Austrians (80%), Greeks (73%) and Cypriots (70%) are the most against it as a source of energy. There are 7 Member States with a total of more than 50% of the citizens opposed to nuclear while the highest score in favour of it is only 41% in Sweden
54% of EU citizens find it very important to save on energy and become more energy efficient, but only 21 percent admit they have actually taken action to do so, such as cut down on lighting and heating or replacing their cars with public transport.
The comprehensive survey can be downloaded here (pdf)
