Public Views on the Circular Economy

65% of EU citizens recognize the impact of environmental issues on their daily lives, are concerned about increasing waste generation, and are willing to take personal steps to reduce waste. In general, they support paying more for products that align with the principles of the circular economy.

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Environmental issues are a top priority for citizens in the European Union. In 2024, over three-quarters of Europeans (78%) acknowledge that environmental problems directly impact their daily lives and health—a sentiment consistent with previous years (light blue line – environmental awareness).

The growing amount of waste remains a significant environmental concern, and the circular economy is widely seen as the most effective solution to these challenges (dark green line – concerns over waste issues).

As part of embracing a circular economy, around two-thirds (66%) of Europeans support waste reduction by properly sorting their waste for recycling, a level of commitment that has remained strong since 2007 (dark blue line – recycling habits).

There is also a considerable willingness among Europeans to adopt more sustainable consumption habits. Nearly six in ten respondents in 2024 are willing to pay more for products that are easier to repair, recyclable, and produced sustainably (yellow line – willingness to pay for sustainable products). However, this share has slightly declined from 72% in 2007 to 59% in 2024, potentially due to higher inflation rates, which have reduced households' financial capacity to afford sustainable products.

The blue dotted line shows the average over all four trend lines highlighted above (each of the four thematic areas is weighted with 25%). According to this aggregated score, in 2024 about 65% of EU citizens recognize the impact of environmental issues on their daily lives, are concerned about increasing waste generation, and are willing to take personal steps to reduce waste and support paying more for products that align with the principles of the circular economy (number highlighted in the indicator tile).

Understanding public perceptions in the EU regarding environmental issues and the circular economy—including their willingness to recycle and purchase more sustainable products—is crucial for designing effective policies and promoting sustainable consumption practices. Data from the Eurobarometer surveys “Attitudes of Europeans towards the environment,” conducted since 1983, reveal that EU citizens are highly aware of environmental concerns and are generally inclined towards more sustainable consumer behaviours. Citizens demand products that are easier to repair, recyclable, and sustainably produced, and they support reducing waste through proper recycling and the use of reusable packaging. EU policies, such as the Circular Economy Action Plan, play a vital role in supporting the public in these efforts.

Definition

The indicator monitors four trends ((1) environmental awareness, (2) concerns over waste generation, (3) recycling habits, and (4) willingness of EU citizens to pay more for sustainable products). Using equal weighting these metrics are then aggregated into a single score indicator. The indicator is based on recurring Eurobarometer surveys.

Methodology

Data for the indicator are based on the EU survey series “Attitudes of Europeans towards the environment” (available from 1983-2024). The indicator collects survey responses related to the (1) Share of EU population that perceive that environmental problems affect their daily lives (environmental awareness), (2) Share of EU population that are worried about the growing amount of waste (concerns over waste generation), (3) Share of Europeans actively recycling (recycling habits), and (4) Willingness of Europeans to pay more for sustainable products (willingness to pay). An aggregate indicator is then developed using equal weighting over all four responses at EU-level.

Note that the following adjustments were made to the data:

· (2) Concerns over waste generation: The survey question from 2007 to 2020 asked specifically about waste as the most important concern, while the 2024 survey asked more holistically about the circular economy including waste recycling as the most effective way of tackling environmental problems. Both were included as a proxy for the public’s “level of concern over waste issues” in the EU.

· (4) Willingness to pay more for sustainable products: Data are not reported for 2017 and 2020 and were linearly extrapolation using available data points for 2014 and 2024.

· Note that the survey time window may not always be equal to the report publication dates (but it is usually very close to the publication date). For this indicator, we used the report publication dates in the figure.

Metadata

· Data source: EU survey series “Attitudes of Europeans towards the environment”

· Unit: Percentage (share of responses)

· Temporal coverage: 1983 – 2024 (data for 2007-2024 were extracted from the surveys for this indicator)

· Geographic coverage: EU and individual member states

Literature

EU survey series “Attitudes of Europeans towards the environment” from the Eurobarometer website

· 2024 https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/3173

· 2020 https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2257

· 2017 https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2156

· 2014 https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2008

· 2011 https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/993

· 2007 https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/673

Public Views on the Circular Economy

References and footnotes