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ENGIE publishes its Fifth Sustainability Report on public perception: growing vulnerability and strong awareness of climate change
ENGIE has released a new edition of its Sustainability Report on Public Perception. This fifth edition analyses public perceptions of climate risk and is based on a study carried out by GAD3.
The findings reveal a high level of awareness across Spanish society. Seventy-three per cent of the population say they are very or fairly concerned about climate change, confirming its consolidation as one of the main public concerns. Likewise, six in ten citizens believe that climate change has a significant impact on their daily lives, pointing to perceived effects in areas such as weather conditions, energy consumption and the availability of resources. These figures highlight a growing perception of vulnerability and underline the need to move forward with mitigation and adaptation policies based on an integrated approach.
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Drought emerges as the most concerning climate impact for Spaniards
Over the past year, public perception points to a notable increase in extreme weather events. Eighty-eight per cent of Spaniards believe that wildfires have increased significantly or quite considerably, making them the phenomenon whose intensification is perceived most clearly. This is followed by heavy rainfall, flooding and torrential rain episodes (84%), as well as heatwaves (83%), in line with recent climate records.
In terms of associated impacts, the population identifies water availability and drought as the main cause for concern (44%), an issue that has become firmly established as critical to the country’s sustainability. This is followed by agriculture and food production (37%), as well as quality of life and public health (35%) — areas in which the effects of climate change are perceived as particularly sensitive and with potential medium- and long-term repercussions. These assessments highlight the need to strengthen risk management and adaptation strategies in the face of increasingly demanding climate scenarios.
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Infrastructure, urban planning and early warning: public priorities in the face of increasingly intense weather events
Half of the population believe that the DANA or gota fría is entirely a consequence of climate change, while four in ten citizens attribute wildfires to climate change to the same extent. By contrast, only 15% fully associate power outages with climate change, reflecting a weaker perception of a direct link between this type of incident and climatic changes.
Regarding priority measures to reduce the risks associated with extreme rainfall events, such as the DANA recorded in October 2024, the public place the greatest importance on improving drainage infrastructure and civil protection systems (41%). Other actions identified as priorities include urban re-planning in flood-prone areas (34%), strengthening early warning systems and emergency plans (32%), and the adoption of renewable energy in the domestic sphere. These preferences highlight a public demand for structural and preventive solutions in response to increasingly intense and frequent weather phenomena.
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Public transport, energy efficiency and clean industry: the solutions the public considers most effective
Seven in ten Spaniards say they have an interest in these issues, confirming a well-established social awareness of the relevance of climate change and its implications.
At the individual level, among those considering adopting more sustainable lifestyles, the most frequently cited priority actions are increased use of public transport (34%) and improving energy efficiency in the home (28%). These responses reflect a growing willingness to make personal changes that contribute to mitigating environmental impact.
As for the measures considered most effective in tackling climate change, the public place the development of less polluting industrial processes at the top of the list. This is followed by promoting public transport as the preferred mode of mobility (29%) and investment in research and development of new clean energy sources, including green hydrogen. Taken together, these views highlight a social preference for structural solutions that combine technological innovation, efficiency and the transformation of productive and mobility models.
Technical details:
Universe: General population aged 18 and over resident in Spain.
Geographical scope: National.
Data collection method: Computer-assisted web interviews (CAWI).
Sample size: 3,115 interviews.
Sample distribution:
Margin of error: ±1.8% (n = 3,115), with a confidence level of 95.5% (two standard deviations), under the most unfavourable assumption of P = Q = 0.5 and assuming simple random sampling.
Interview duration: Approximately 5 minutes.
Quotas: By sex and age, with geographical allocation.
Fieldwork dates: October 2025.
Questionnaire: Designed by GAD3 and validated by ENGIE.
Institute: Gabinete de Análisis Demoscópico, S.L. (GAD3) C/ Alcalá 75 – 4th floor, left, 28009 – Madrid
