Statistical analysis of opinions on climate change and energy measures in Poland

Deepshikha Thapa

Bachelor's thesis

Abstract:

Abstract Climate change is a major issue worldwide. In the case of Poland, it faces special issues with climate change due to its heavy reliance on coal. This results in high greenhouse emissions. There is an urgent need to switch to cleaner, renewable energy sources to mitigate these emissions. The transition to climate change in Poland is complex. Socioeconomics, public opinion, or policy factors can influence it. The objective of this thesis is to provide readers with an analysis of the opinion about climate change and energy measures in Poland. The study uses surveys from the European Social Survey to understand people’s opinions. In the literature review, a brief overview of climate change, its impacts, and energy measures in Poland. Furthermore, socio-demographic factors influencing opinions related to these topics are discussed too. In the methodology part, descriptive statistics are used to analyze the respondents' opinions. Also, few hypotheses are formed relating to these topics. SPSS will be needed to analyze the data and perform hypotheses. Then, we will know if the hypotheses are accepted or rejected based on the results of the p-value. Keywords: Climate change, energy measures, Poland, opinions, socio-demographic, p-value   Souhrn. Klimatické změny jsou celosvětově velkým problémem. V případě Polska čelí zvláštním problémům se změnou klimatu kvůli jeho velké závislosti na uhlí. To má za následek vysoké emise skleníkových plynů. Ke zmírnění těchto emisí je naléhavě nutné přejít na čistší obnovitelné zdroje energie. Přechod ke změně klimatu v Polsku je složitý. Mohou to ovlivnit socioekonomie, veřejné mínění nebo politické faktory. Cílem této práce je poskytnout čtenářům analýzu názoru na klimatické změny a energetická opatření v Polsku. Studie využívá průzkumy Evropského sociálního průzkumu, aby pochopila názory lidí. V přehledu literatury stručný přehled klimatických změn, jejich dopady, energetická opatření v Polsku. Dále jsou diskutovány sociodemografické faktory ovlivňující názory na tato témata. V metodické části jsou k analýze názorů respondentů použity deskriptivní statistiky. K těmto tématům se také vytváří několik hypotéz. SPSS bude zapotřebí k analýze dat a provádění hypotéz. Potom budeme vědět, zda jsou hypotézy přijaty nebo zamítnuty na základě výsledků p-hodnoty. Klíčová slova: Změna klimatu, energetická opatření, Polsko, názory, sociodemografické, p-hodnota.   Poland has a long history of conducting dendroclimatological research since 1914, and meteorological stations have been monitoring climate change for almost a century (Falarz, 2021). Poland has experienced an increase in heavy rainfall, decreased snow cover, and increased severity of hurricanes, thunderstorms, and other meteorological events over the last few decades. From 1951 to 2020, Poland's average temperature increased by more than 2°C, with warming occurring quicker than the global average. The east and west warmed three times more than the middle, and Poland experienced fewer cold days and more hot days. Climate consequences are unevenly distributed, with global warming linked to heat waves and other meteorological instabilities in Poland. The Polish Ministry of Environment remains primarily concerned with agriculture and water management. Poland has announced plans to address the effects of climate change on many sectors, including energy, through its 2030 National Environmental Policy and a special adaptation plan. The Energy Policy to 2040 focuses on ensuring the energy system's security and mitigating climate change effects by changing the types of energy used and becoming more efficient during crises (Lea 50, 2022). Recent academic papers have studied the effects of climate change on Poland, highlighting the country's numerous concerns and suggesting that effective clim

Abstract:

ate change requires collaboration between cities, good practice from European leaders, and citizen involvement in decision-making processes. Poland’s energy landscape and challenges are influenced by a mix of factors, including its historical reliance on coal, its energy security concerns, environmental pressures, and the need to transition to cleaner and more sustainable energy. Coal mining has played a significant role in Poland’s history and economy for decades. Poland has a substantial coal reserve and coal has traditionally been a major source of energy for the country. It has a long history in Poland, back to the 18th century. It played a pivotal role in fueling the Industrial Revolution in Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries. Poland, is the EU's sixth-largest member state. It has become increasingly resistant to EU climate policies since 2009. It is opposing the Commission's energy roadmap in 2011 and 2012, which aims to decarbonize Europe by 2050 (Skjærseth, 2014). Poland is also funded by the EU to support aimed at advancing its effort to address climate change and transition towards more sustainable energy practices. At the heart of this support system is the European Green Deal, a comprehensive EU strategy aimed at achieving climate neutrality by 2050 (EU, 2024) Climate change awareness significantly impacts public opinion and collective responses to the global environmental crisis. Understanding people's perceptions is crucial for policymakers, activists, and researchers. Public awareness campaigns transform social attitudes and behaviors, encouraging renewable energy adoption and sustainability. Other factors play a role in influencing climate change attitudes. Some of them are income, geographical location, political ideology or religion spirituality, media exposure, and so on (Huda, 2013). The purpose of this thesis is to examine Poles' attitudes toward climate change and energy policies. The study's goal is to assess how different socio-demographic groups perceive climate change and energy measures. This analysis focuses on understanding how various socio-demographic factors such as age, gender, and education influence perceptions and attitudes towards climate change and the adoption of renewable energy sources. The study uses descriptive statistics to assess opinions and test hypotheses on how age, gender, and education level affect climate change attitudes and energy-saving measures. The hypotheses were: H1: Are there differences in opinions on energy measures between different age groups? H2: Females are more concerned than males about climate change. H3: People with higher education have positive responses towards nature and the environment. The analysis was done in SPSS using chi-square, frequencies, and descriptive statistics. This thesis uses data from the European Social Survey, a bi-annual survey conducted in over 30 European countries since 2001. The survey focuses on living conditions and attitudes. This has been conducted in Poland since round 10SC. The survey, which combines traditional paper questionnaires and computer-assisted web interviews, aims to understand living conditions and attitudes in European countries. The survey has 2065 respondents and shows the demographic distribution of gender, age, education, political activity, internet usage, and views on energy saving and climate change. The survey sample comprises slightly more females (52%) than males (48%). Respondents are categorized into three age groups based on a systematic technique (Horng, 2001)revealing that young adults (15-39) and elderly adults (60-90). The most common education levels are ES-ISCED V2 higher tertiary education and ES-ISCED upper secondary education. During the hypothesis, they were coded into 2 groups basic education and higher education groups. The majority (80.1%) voted in the last national election, indicating high political engagement. The majority use the internet daily, indicating high digital engagement. In the analytical part, a detailed analysis was done of the survey of the questionnaire related to climate change and energy measures. The results reveal a majority of support for reducing energy use during peak periods, but many lack definitive answers. Respondents felt a moderate to high responsibility for reducing climate change, with an average rating of 6.51 out of 10. A significant majority, 95.4%, expressed at least some worry about climate change. The reasons for climate change were widely discussed, with roughly equal numbers blaming human action and natural processes. However, hypothesis I wasn’t done. The reason behind this was there was not any data related to the opinions of the Polish regarding energy measures in ESS. There was data from other countries so, as a reference, the data from Czechia was used for the analysis. An alternative hypothesis was formed for the hypothesis, and data was gained through an alternative source of Poland and was based on energy measures. The alternative hypothesis was if there is a relationship between age and their opinion on energy measures. The variables were coded into “agree”, “disagree” and “don’t know” categories. The analysis found a correlation between age and energy-saving opinions. This suggests that age affects how people view the importance of saving energy. And then, hypothesis II was done. The variables were coded into “worried”, “not worried” and “no answer” categories. The result showed that females are more concerned about climate change than males. The finding is statistically significant. In hypothesis III, the variables were coded into “worried”, “not worried” and “no answer” categories. Hypothesis III outcome concluded that individual with higher education is more likely to have a positive attitude towards nature and the environment. This shows education plays an important role in shaping an individual’s perceptions and attitudes towards the environment and climate change. The study reveals that socio-demographic characteristics such as age, education, and income influence Poland's perceptions of climate change. Younger individuals and those with higher education levels are more concerned about climate change, indicating a deeper understanding of its consequences. This highlights the need for complex communication strategies and policymaking.For elderly groups or those with lower education, conventional media channels and community-based participation may be more effective. However, public willingness to adopt energy-saving measures varies based on awareness levels and perceived economic implications. The study emphasizes the importance of personalized communication methods and digital channels in raising awareness. It also calls for politicians to consider these socioeconomic aspects when developing and implementing climate policies. Educational campaigns should be tailored to reach older populations and those with lower education levels, especially those less engaged with climate issues. The study's findings may be limited by its geographic scope and sample size, which may not reflect the complete range of opinions. References EU. (2024, Feburary 6). The European Green Deal. Retrieved from https://commission.europa.eu/news/recommendation-2040-target-reach-climate-neutrality-2050-2024-02-06_en Falarz, M. P. (2021). Climate Change in Poland. Springer, Cham. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70328-8_1 Horng, W.-B. &.-P.-W. (2001). Classification of Age Groups Based on Facial Features. Tamkang Journal of Science and Engineering, 4. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228404297_Classification_of_Age_Groups_Based_on_Facial_Features Huda, M. (2013). Understanding indigenous people’s perception on climate change and climatic hazards: a case study of Chakma indigenous communities in Rangamati Sadar Upazila of Rangamati District, Bangladesh. Natural Hazards. doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-012-0467-z Lea 50. (2022). Poland climate resilience policy indicator. Retrieved from https://www.iea.org/articles/poland-climate-resilience-policy-indicator Skjærseth, J. B. (2014). Implementing EU climate and energy policies in Poland. 57.

Keywords

Climate change, energy measures, Změna klimatu, energetická opatření, Polsko, názory, sociodemografické, p-hodnota., Poland, opinions, socio-demographic, p-value

Jazyk práce: English

Datum vytvoření / odevzdání či podání práce: 18. 3. 2024

Obhajoba závěrečné práce

• Obhajoba proběhla 30. 5. 2024
• Vedúci: prof. Ing. Jindřich Špička, Ph.D.
• Oponent: Zuzana Pacáková, Ph.D.

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Economics and Management

Bachelor programme:
Business Administration