Did extreme weather change European public opinion in summer 2026?

A new study by Climate Opinion Research Exchange highlights the link between extreme weather impacts and people’s prioritisation of climate change, with climate becoming a top 5 issue in all but one of six countries surveyed in August 2026. The survey was conducted by YouGov for CORE in the United Kingdom (Great Britain), Italy, France, Germany, Spain, and Denmark.

Research Findings

The extreme weather experienced across Europe during the summer of 2026 significantly elevated climate change as a dominant public concern, driving salience—the level of importance placed on particular issues—back to levels unseen in recent years, even if not back to the peak of 2019-2021.

Climate change became a top 5 issue between June and August in all but one of six countries surveyed (Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK). The climb in issue rankings was particularly evident in harder hit countries like France, where the share of people choosing climate as a top 2 issue doubled to 28%—sending the issue overall to third. Salience also doubled in Spain to 10% and almost doubled in both the UK (15%) and in Germany (18%). In contrast, concern stayed flat in Denmark (28%), which was less affected by extreme weather. This underscores the direct role of localized severe weather in shifting public concern.

Voters intuitively connected extreme heat to climate change, with 7-8 in 10 respondents (68-83%) across all surveyed countries identifying the summer’s heatwaves as a likely consequence of climate change while explicitly rejecting dismissive framing. The “it’s not serious, it’s called summer” frame was rejected everywhere. Climate change subsequently rose in priority.

This heightened concern translated into increased support for policy action. Net support increased on all 13 policies tested—achieving an average increase of +4 points—driven almost entirely by expansion in the “strongly support” category. However, willingness to make personal lifestyle adjustments remained unchanged.

The summer’s extreme weather did not notably push up fatalism. Support for the idea that it’s already too late to tackle the worst effects of climate change rose only modestly; a majority (56%) still believes the worst is avoidable with drastic change. Anti-climate narratives still find relatively little widespread purchase, outside a committed core. Only 13 to 24% blame green policies for rising energy bills, far behind gas prices and import dependence or profiteering. Support for EU-level action rose in all EU countries surveyed except Spain.

Consequently, political positions opposing climate action carry severe disapproval. Post-heatwave, climate denial became politically toxic. A politician saying climate change isn’t happening scores a net −58 to −71 in every country; whereas candidates advocating for accelerated climate action achieved net positive support. The primary point of political debate appears to remain centred on the pace and economic costs of transition rather than the necessity of intervention itself.

Methodology
The research was conducted through public opinion polling commissioned via YouGov in late August 2026, incorporating questions from YouGov’s Eurotracker series alongside custom survey items. The baseline wave—for comparison—was YouGov’s April 2026 wave for all questions except the issue salience question, for which it was June 2026. The analysis focuses on population-level shifts across six European markets—the United Kingdom (Great Britain), Italy, France, Germany, Spain, and Denmark—enabling a comparative assessment between regions exposed to extreme weather events and those that were not. Sample sizes ranged from 1,000 to 2,000 respondents per wave per market.

To find out more, view our most recent research note: Did extreme weather change European public opinion in summer 2026?