A new Orsted-commissioned study has found that Europeans overestimate the extent to which their countries are energy independent, and underestimate the amount of fossil fuels they import.
In surveys of 1,000 residents each in the UK, Germany, Denmark, Poland, the Netherlands, and Belgium, between 31% and 44% of respondents believed their country is self-sufficient in energy.
In reality none of the surveyed countries are energy independent, Orsted said in a release, and more than 50% of Europe’s energy use depends on energy imports.
Chief Development Officer at Ørsted Amanda Dasch said in the report’s introduction: “If a significant share of European citizens – in contrast with reality – believe they are not dependent on imported fossil fuels, their reluctance to support investment in the energy transition will naturally be greater.
“This can lead to suboptimal policy designs and ultimately delay investments to address both energy import dependency and climate change.”
The survey also shows that many Europeans overestimate the cost of renewable energy, Orsted said.
Between 36% and 55% of respondents believe offshore wind is more expensive than it is in reality, Orsted’s survey shows.
The poll was conducted by Common Consultancy by Orsted and surveyed 6,109 respondents across the six countries.
The data was collected between 6 and 23 march.