Inflation and price increases are more important to many people in the country than climate protection, at least at the moment. This is the result of a new study by WU Vienna, Deloitte Austria and Wien Energie. According to this, support for renewable energy projects has “flattened out” – and the “already sputtering” electric car market is also recording declining interest in this country.
“Increasingly critical attitude” towards climate protection
The study speaks of “symptoms of fatigue” when it comes to climate protection. Although climate change is still seen as a “central problem in the next two decades”, an “increasingly critical attitude” is emerging. This is especially the case if the energy project is close to your home. A phenomenon that has been making headlines for a long time – see here. “We see that the approval ratings for wind power projects in our own area have fallen to less than two thirds. And photovoltaics, which are actually very popular, also achieved the lowest acceptance level since the start of the series of studies at 83% – that is a worrying result,” explains Nina Hampl, study author at WU Vienna.
The gas thing
According to the study, the population’s acceptance of energy and climate policy measures is also falling in other areas: While last year 66% of Austrians were in favor of the total electricity consumption being covered by 100% renewable energy sources by 2030, the number is currently only higher 55%. Only a third of those surveyed were in favor of a general ban on gas heating from 2040 or oil heating from 2035.
Interesting in this context: In November 2023, the last available entry on the official information portal, Austria purchased a whopping 76 percent of its gas from Russia, and a month before that even 90 percent. Since June 2022, Russia’s share of EU gas imports has been less than 20%. In November it was 12.9%.
Energy saving is “trendy”
“Austrians are increasingly less willing to accept personal changes for the energy transition. Two thirds are therefore of the opinion that more emphasis should be placed on incentives instead of bans,” adds Nina Hampl.
Saving energy is still “in vogue”. According to the study, almost half of those surveyed (47%) are committed to a “behavior change” – the majority of whom want to maintain this in the next 12 months. Here too, the reason for this is not so much environmental aspects, but primarily the cost factor.
E-cars only with subsidies
Things aren’t looking much better when it comes to traffic, which is traditionally a major CO2 emitter in Austria. In one sentence: Buying interest in electric cars is decreasing. Potential customers see problems in the limited range and the high acquisition costs. “The establishment of electric cars is making slow progress, although there is now a wide range available. The cost factor is still too daunting, especially for the younger generations,” says Gerhard Marterbauer, partner at Deloitte Austria. However, subsidies would still be effective: “The survey clearly shows that public subsidies have a positive effect on purchasing decisions. This is a central lever for driving forward the expansion of sustainable mobility in Austria – and should definitely be maintained,” says Marterbauer.
A lot of oil, but also a lot of PV
As with gas, the same applies to heating oil: According to those surveyed, the proportion of fossil energy sources such as natural gas or heating oil in private residential construction has “hardly” changed compared to the previous year. The trend towards installing photovoltaic systems continues: over half of the systems were installed within the last two years. “The heating transition will be one of the central challenges in the near future, but according to the survey, current inflation is slowing down important progress here too. It remains to be seen how the subsidies that have already been presented will have an impact here in the next few months,” explains Michael Strebl, CEO of Wien Energie. “In any case, it is encouraging that the willingness of Austrians to take part in citizens’ projects to use renewable energies continues to increase slightly.”
And: Interest in energy communities also remains high. Here too, financial incentives would be in the foreground – which has also been shown in general. Strebl: “We see that the issues of climate protection, affordability and security of supply are moving closely together. The cost factor is crucial for the population, especially in the current economic environment.”
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