Did extreme weather change European public opinion in summer 2026?

The document finds that the extreme heat and wildfires of summer 2026 significantly increased the salience of climate change as a top public concern in most surveyed European countries, particularly those most affected. This shift led to a modest increase in support for government policy actions, such as carbon taxes and fuel duty increases, although personal lifestyle changes remained stagnant. The research highlights a strong public link between the weather events and climate change, rendering climate denial politically toxic, while noting that the primary political debate has shifted toward the pace and cost of the energy transition rather than the necessity of action.

• Extreme weather in summer 2026 increased the salience of climate change, making it a top 5 issue in five of the six surveyed countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK). In France, the share of people identifying climate change as a top 2 issue doubled to 28%. Conversely, concern remained flat in Denmark, which was less affected by the weather.
• A strong majority of respondents (68-83%) across the surveyed countries linked the summer's heatwaves to climate change and rejected dismissive framing, such as the idea that the weather was simply 'summer'. While most also linked wildfires to climate change, certainty regarding wildfire attribution was lower in Spain and Italy compared to Great Britain and France.
• Public support for climate policy increased by an average of +4 points across 13 tested policies, primarily through an increase in 'strong support'. The most significant gains were seen in support for raising fuel duty (+8 points), stricter home efficiency rules (+6 points), and carbon taxes on companies (+6 points). However, this did not lead to a greater willingness to make personal lifestyle changes, such as switching energy providers or to electric cars.
• Climate denial has become politically toxic, with politicians claiming climate change is not happening receiving net scores between -58 and -71 in every country. Political debate now focuses on the economic costs and pace of the transition rather than the need for intervention. Additionally, only 13% to 24% of respondents attribute rising energy bills to green policies, preferring explanations involving gas prices, profiteering, or import dependence.

APA

Climate Opinion Research Exchange (n.d.). Did extreme weather change European public opinion in summer 2026? https://climateopinion.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Research-Note-Climate-Impacts-Europe-2026.pdf

Chicago

Climate Opinion Research Exchange. Did extreme weather change European public opinion in summer 2026? n.d. https://climateopinion.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Research-Note-Climate-Impacts-Europe-2026.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Opinion Research Exchange |title=Did extreme weather change European public opinion in summer 2026? |url=https://climateopinion.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Research-Note-Climate-Impacts-Europe-2026.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateopinionresearchexchangenddid, author = {{Climate Opinion Research Exchange}}, title = {{Did extreme weather change European public opinion in summer 2026?}}, institution = {Climate Opinion Research Exchange}, url = {https://climateopinion.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Research-Note-Climate-Impacts-Europe-2026.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }