Eve is here. This is depressing. Politicians, businessmen, economists, and the popular media that follow them have fetishized economic growth, despite much moaning (air and water pollution, more processed foods, more inferior products designed to have shorter lifespans and more frequent replacements, lower home prices, 24/7 on-call demands for many white-collar workers, often worsening conditions for workers due to demands for surveillance and productivity). You might think that Europeans, with their general receptivity to the reality of global warming and memories of a better way of life under more democratic socialist regimes, would be willing to moan and settle for less. But that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Let me tell you, fossil fuel interests are largely responsible for effective climate change denialism. But so is the hopium-selling Green New Deal, which touted the idea that reducing greenhouse gas emissions comes at no cost to growth.
By Ivan Savin, Associate Professor of Quantitative Analysis at the ESCP Business School, and Lewis King, Postdoctoral Researcher in Ecological Economics at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Originally published on The Conversation
The debate about the necessity and desirability of economic growth is changing. There is growing skepticism among researchers working on sustainability and climate policy about whether continued economic growth is necessary to achieve the social and environmental goals of a sustainable society. Some argue that we should move beyond growth as a central policy objective altogether, since staying within environmental limits is counterproductive.
However, this change in thinking has not been reflected among the population.
A new study surveyed nearly 17,000 people in 13 European countries to understand how citizens view the role of economic growth in building sustainable societies. The results reveal a striking contrast to academic debate.
Most Europeans still believe in economic growth
A clear majority of Europeans (nearly 60%) believe that economic growth is necessary to achieve social and environmental goals. Fewer than 1 in 10 people are clearly skeptical about growth. For most respondents, economic growth is not something to be limited or abandoned, but is seen as supporting important aspects of modern society, from funding environmental protection to improving life satisfaction.
Growth ranking of EU nationals compared to climate policy researchers. (a) Stylistic comparison of the distribution of respondents to expert and citizen surveys. Colored boxes represent the interquartile range, and black lines represent the median survey responses for each cluster. Savin et al.(b) (2026) and King et al. (2026) growth rank distribution for EU nationals. (2023) For EU climate policy researchers. Researchers residing in the 13 countries covered by the national survey were selected. Growth position labels correspond to the same color labels in panel A. Provided by Ivan Savin, provided by the author (not for reuse)
Big gap with experts
This is in sharp contrast to previous research on climate policy experts. There, only about 14% of researchers expressed a pro-growth view, with a much larger proportion being indifferent or skeptical about the role of growth.
In other words, skepticism about growth is widespread among EU experts, but remains a minority among the public.
Not considered a trade-off
The difference is not simply a matter of priorities, but depends on how we understand the relationship between growth and sustainability.
Academic discussions often frame this issue as a tension or trade-off between economic expansion and environmental protection. However, our findings suggest that most citizens are unaware of such fundamental conflicts.
Supporters of economic growth are just as concerned about climate change as climate change skeptics. They also have less support for climate change policies.
This shows that there are different views among the population, where growth is valued as a means to achieving broader social goals rather than as an end in itself.
more than self-interest
Another common assumption is that support for economic growth comes primarily from self-interest.
However, patterns in the data tell a more nuanced story. A growth mindset is associated not only with values related to personal success and material well-being, but also with values related to equality, social fairness, and group well-being. This suggests that many people view economic growth not simply as a means of gaining personal profit, but as a means of supporting society as a whole.
Differences across Europe
At the same time, support for growth is not uniform across Europe. We aggregated opinions within each country into a single pro-growth index ranging from -1 (strong growth skepticism) to +1 (strong support for growth). This index tends to be lower in wealthier and more equal countries, where basic needs are already widely met.
In such a situation, citizens may be less dependent on further economic expansion to ensure their welfare. Differences are also emerging in how people think about how climate change policies should be designed. Those who are more skeptical about growth are generally more supportive of regulatory measures such as banning high-emissions activities, while pro-growth respondents are more likely to support policies based on public investment and subsidies.
Comparison of growth support across EU countries. (a) Growth comparison. Support national indicators on welfare and the environment. (b) Map showing the average value of growth support for the surveyed countries. Darker colors indicate higher values in both (a) and (b). Provided by Ivan Savin, provided by the author (not for reuse)
Why this matters for policy
These differences are important because they shape what kinds of policies are likely to gain public support.
The growing prominence of growth-skeptical perspectives in academic and policy debates reflects important concerns about environmental limits. However, our findings suggest that these perspectives have not yet translated into widespread public support.
This poses a challenge for policy makers. Climate policy needs to be ambitious enough to address environmental risks, but also consistent with public understanding of economic and social progress. Policies may have difficulty gaining support, even among people concerned about climate change, if they are framed in a way that undermines economic stability and public services.
The gap between expert discourse and public opinion therefore raises broader questions about how sustainability transitions are communicated and implemented. For growth skepticism to play a greater role in policy, it will need to be more explicitly linked to people’s concerns about jobs, security and well-being.
At the same time, if economic growth is to remain central to the political narrative, economic growth and environmental goals will need to be more convincingly aligned.
Ultimately, the future of climate policy in Europe will depend not only on scientific evidence and economic arguments, but also on how citizens perceive the role of economic growth in their lives. At the moment, there is a strong sense that growth is part of the solution, not the problem.
