Assessing stringency: A survey experiment of energy saving policies across five EU countries

This article explores the public acceptance of European energy saving policies during the 2022 energy crisis. Drawing upon a survey experiment conducted with nationally representative quota samples of 7678 respondents across five European countries (France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain), this article explores public acceptance of European energy-saving policies during the 2022 energy crisis. We examine public preferences between coercive (mandates) and non-coercive (information campaigns) policy approaches. Additionally, we investigate how individual-level factors – including age, household income, environmental attitudes, perceived urgency of climate action, and trust in government – moderate citizens’ support for these policies. Our findings highlight significant heterogeneity: while non-coercive policies generally garner higher public approval, this preference is notably weaker or reversed among younger and lower-income respondents. By exploring the underlying factors driving this preference, this research sheds light on the considerations that European policymakers should consider when crafting future energy savings policies.