Italians are among the most climate-conscious Europeans and more than three out of four say they are in favour of "stricter government measures" to protect the environment, the findings of the annual climate survey said.
"Climate change remains one of the biggest challenges for Italy (56 per cent of Italians rank climate or environmental degradation among the top three challenges for the country) and "for many, the government has a role to play in encouraging individual behavioural change," the EIB Climate Survey says.
In terms of the EU, 76 per cent of Europeans aged 20-29 said the climate impact of prospective employers was an important factor when job hunting, while 66 per cent of all European respondents were in favour of stricter government measures to impose a change in personal behaviour (72 per cent of people under 30).
Seventy-nine per cent of European respondents were in favour of labelling all food to help limit the impact on climate and the environment, while 62 per cent said they would pay more for climate-friendly food.
Fifty-six per cent would be in favour of a carbon budget system to set a cap on the most climate-damaging consumption (62 per cent of people under 30).
A majority of European respondents (56 per cent) said they would be in favour of a carbon budget system that would allocate each individual a fixed number of yearly credits to be spent on items with a big carbon footprint (non-essential goods, flights, meat, etc.).
In comparison, Chinese respondents strongly favoured such a measure (83 per cent), but Americans were less supportive, with less than half in favour (49 per cent).
Reducing the consumption of meat and dairy products would be another efficient way to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
Just over half of Europeans (51 per cent) would be in favour of limiting the amount of meat and dairy products that people can buy to fight climate change, which was above Americans, with 40 per cent, but well below Chinese people, with 73 per cent).
This is the fifth time the European Investment Bank (EIB) has performed the annual EIB Climate Survey.
Conducted in partnership with market research firm BVA, the survey aims to inform the broader debate on attitudes and expectations in terms of climate action.
More than 28,000 respondents participated in the survey in August 2022, with a representative panel of people aged 15 and above for each of the 30 countries polled.
