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Snnie Spratt via Unsplash This summer witnessed record temperatures in Europe, leading to widespread devastation. Wildfires ravaged Spain. Heat killed thousands in Germany and France. Landscapes were scorched in the UK, and Italy lost billions of Euros in GDP due to the heatwaves.
In this context, the Climate Opinion Research Exchange carried out a study of Europeans attitudes towards heat and adapting to it in Europe. The data paint a clear picture:
- Increased disruption from heat is widely felt – 72% of respondents reported increased disruption compared with five years ago. This perception spans the political spectrum, with majorities across it reporting increased disruption. Women and young people have noticed the disruption more often than men or older people. Less than 5% of the public said that heat is disrupting them less than in the recent past.
- The heat is making sleep harder – two thirds of study participants said that they had more difficulty sleeping as a result of the heat.
- The top heat related concern the public expressed in the survey was about elderly people’s health. This was followed by risks to other vulnerable groups.
- Approximately three quarters of the public (78%) believe that air conditioning should become a normal feature of public buildings such as hospitals, care homes, and schools. Aside from air conditioning, respondents supported increased focus on greater levels of green space in cities.
Methodology note: The study included approximately 2000 respondents in each of the countries studied, resulting in a margin of error of +/-2.2% at the national level within each country. The data is weighted to ensure representativeness at the national level. Data collection was carried out by Norstat in July, 2026.