Report on twin transition and intersectional inequalities. ST4TE Deliverable D2.5

This report investigates the intersectional impact of the twin transition policies, analysing how sustainable and digital advancements may mitigate existing inequalities across diverse groups in Europe. This deliverable, based on 402 narrative interviews conducted in nine European countries, examines how such inequalities shape and are reshaped by the twin transition across Europe. Its aim is to understand the drivers and barriers that affect individuals’ participation in green, digital, and combined transition processes, and to identify policy measures capable of ensuring more equitable outcomes. The findings show that inequalities in income, skills, health, gender, age, migration status, and place of residence strongly condition people’s ability to participate in, shape, or benefit from transition processes. Limited time, financial resources, digital literacy, and infrastructural access reduce opportunities for vulnerable groups. Respondents perceive the green transition as value-driven and largely voluntary, whereas the digital transition is experienced as mandatory, fast-moving, and exclusionary for those lacking digital competencies or trust in institutions. Social networks, community norms, and personal beliefs play enabling or constraining roles in both domains. Structural gaps, including fragmented policies, poorly aligned infrastructures, and concentrated corporate power, further deepen exclusion. While some synergies between green and digital change exist, they remain the exception rather than the norm. Overall, the study concludes that the twin transition is lived through unequal structures that shape the possibilities for agency.