64% of Dutch people think the energy transition in the Netherlands is necessary. 18% does not think that is the case. But at the same time, a higher percentage, namely 83%, believes that the Netherlands should generate as much energy as possible in its own country. There is great support for wind energy. This is evident from a recent study by Motivaction in collaboration with the NVDE.
Other countries
If energy does have to be obtained from abroad, a majority would have difficulty doing business with Russia. Popular countries to import energy from are Germany, Denmark, Norway, France and Sweden. It is interesting to see that there is a significant difference between the US under President Biden and under President Trump. (fig. 1)
An earlier study by Motivaction on the support for onshore solar and wind energy last year showed that the Dutch accept that a sustainable energy supply is necessary and that wind farms and solar meadows are necessary for this. For example, more than 60% believe that sun and wind are necessary for a sustainable energy supply.
In the same study, 53% indicated that both energy sources contribute to combating climate change. Finally, 63% of Dutch people agree with the statement that solar and wind energy will make us less dependent on energy from abroad.
Broad support for wind energy
People want sustainable energy from the Netherlands. When asked about how that energy should be generated, it appears that wind and solar energy have the most support. Wind energy from the sea is by far the favorite with over 60%. It is striking that onshore wind energy also receives good scores, with 40% in favor and less than 10% against. For example, also in comparison with biomass: less than 10% in favor and more than 15% against.)
Nuclear energy still has quite a few supporters at 35%, but at the same time 20% are also against this energy source. Finally, support for natural gas and coal is small. (fig. 2)
Affordability
The fact that sustainability is not the only qualification on which the energy system is judged becomes apparent when we try to sort affordability, reliability, sustainability and justice according to importance.
It then becomes clear that affordability and reliability are considered considerably more important than sustainability and fairness of our energy supply. (fig. 3)
Assignment to cabinet
The Dutch ask a lot when it comes to our energy supply. We want to be independent from abroad, energy must mainly come from wind and sun, and the energy system must be affordable and reliable. It is a difficult task for the new government to find a solution to this.
To provide some more structure, Dutch people were asked to choose three of the six assignments below. This shows that affordability is considered particularly important, followed by independence from unreliable regimes and countries outside the EU. (fig. 4)
Before the elections
In the run-up to the House of Representatives elections in 2023, Motivaction has also conducted research . This showed that Dutch voters were mainly guided by three crucial themes: health and elderly care, the housing market, and energy and climate. With 41%, 37%, and 29% of respondents respectively considering these topics as the most important.
Climate policy plays an important role for just over half of Dutch voters, 54% believe that the government should focus much more on the energy transition. 56% say that they generally have sufficient knowledge about the different political parties to be able to vote informedly and in addition, half (51%) of voters feel well informed about the energy and climate plans of the party they are planning on to vote.
The energy and climate theme consists of various components, with affordability (37%) also considered the most important by the Dutch population last year. This is followed by sustainability (17%), independent (16%), reliable (10%) and fair (7%).
Source: Motivaction
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