Ideology, Costs and Trust; Citizens Views on Climate Change and Climate Action in Croatia

Action on climate change in Europe is largely driven by a set of broader EU policy initiatives. However, its implementation takes place within the context of the national political economies of individual member states, where the structure of the national economy and climate policies interact to produce different patterns of contestation over climate issues, as well as different coalitions supporting or opposing measures to counteract climate change. Thus, citizens views of climate change and political contestation over how to frame it and what to do about it are formed in the interaction between national political economy and climate policies, which affect costs and benefits citizens face related to addressing climate change, as well as values and ideologies they hold and how they view society and other social and political actors, media and institutions. The impact of the national political economy primarily depends on the size of and employment in industrial sectors that rely on hydrocarbons for energy and raw materials, including hydrocarbon-producing sectors and hydrocarbon-dependent energy sectors. The larger the share of these sectors in the economy, the larger the share of the population is likely to face significant economic costs from climate action, which in turn increases both the salience of climate issues and the level of contestation surrounding them. The impact of economic structure is also influenced by the salience and visibility of climate policies, which shape how citizens perceive climate action and its effects on them. Where these factors are absent or muted, contestation over climate issues is more likely to be subsumed within broader ideological narratives and shaped by citizens’ views on other political and social issues. This paper analyses citizens’ views on climate change and climate action in Croatia. Croatia represents a context without significant oil, gas, or coal-producing sectors, or major industries dependent on fossil fuels, but with substantial potential for renewable energy production. In addition, the visibility and salience of climate policy in Croatia are low, which further reduces the likelihood of distributive conflict over climate change and climate action. At the same time, Croatia is characterized by a high salience of cultural issues and related ideological polarization, as well as low levels of trust in politics and other social institutions. Together, these factors create conditions in which climate change is likely to become embedded within broader ideological divisions and to be predominantly shaped by ideological polarization and citizens’ views of society and politics. The paper uses survey data collected specifically for the purpose of analyzing citizens’ views on climate change and climate action. It investigates the impact of factors shaping how citizens perceive climate change, views they hold about climate action in general, and their own preparedness to engage in climate-related activities. In particular, the paper examines the effects of citizens’ values and ideologies, their views of society and politics, their media use, and their socioeconomic position on attitudes toward climate change and climate action.