Opinion poll: Overwhelming majority of Poles choose renewable energy over coal and nuclear

Opinion poll: Overwhelming majority of Poles choose renewable energy over coal and nuclear Summary 89% percent of Polish citizens want more energy coming from renewable sources. This is based on an public opinion poll. Moreover, more than two-thirds of Polish people (70%) want energy policy supporting the development of renewable energy. This is compared to coal and lignite support (18%) and nuclear energy support (16%). Finally, 73% of Polish people would like the Polish government to be more involved in preventing the negative effects of climate change. The poll was conducted between the 2nd and 11th of October, 2013, by the Public Opinion Research Center (CBOS) 1 using a nationwide, representative and random sample of adult Poles (+18) based on the CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing) quantitative research method commissioned by Greenpeace Poland. A total of 1,066 respondents were interviewed. The results show very strong public support for renewable energy and climate action. It further indicates that there is a big difference between what Polish citizens want and what the Polish government is pushing: Coal. Methodology Greenpeace commissioned the Public Opinion Research Center (CBOS) 2 to conduct an opinion poll based on three questions. The questions were asked to a nationwide, representative and random sample of 1,066 adult Poles (18 years old and above). The sample parameters correspond with the basic features of the socio-demographic structure of Poles, including gender, age, education, social and professional group, employment status (employed and unemployed), financial status, size of the place of residence according to the population and the region of the residence of the respondents. The poll was based on the CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing) quantitative research method. The general results of the poll represent the distribution of the opinions of Polish people with the maximum ca.3% margin of error and a 95% confidence level consistent with the best practice for such research. Results Question 1: Would you like more energy in Poland to come from renewable sources? 57% of the people answered with a strong definite yes while 32% with rather yes. Altogether 89% of the respondents are in favor of an increased share of renewable energy. There was no big split between women (52% said definitely yes, 35% said rather yes, which gives an 2 The Public Opinion Research Center (CBOS), established in 1982, is a publicly funded independent research centre. It is one of the largest and most renowned public opinion research institutes in Poland. The director of CBOS is a member of the World Association for Public Opinion Research (WAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR). Among the CBOS s clients are the scientific and research institutions, like the universities or the Polish Academy of Sciences, NGOs, commercial companies and public institutions like the ministries, parliament, embassies or the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland. Greenpeace Germany Greenpeace International Web: http://www.greenpeace.org Hongkongstraße 10 Ottho Heldringstraat 5 Press Desk Hotline +31 (0) 20 7182470 20457 Hamburg 1066 AZ Amsterdam General media enquiries e-mail: Germany The Netherlands pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org Tel: +49 (0) 40 306 180 Tel: +31 (0) 20 7182000 Author/ V.i.S.d.P. Kaisa Kosonen

overall 87% support among women) and men (62% said definitely yes, 29% gave a positive response, which gives an overall 91% support among men). Up to two-thirds of people younger than 55 years gave a definite yes. There is also massive support for renewable energy in the cities (in total 92% gave definite yes or positive response) and rural areas (in total 87% gave definite yes or positive response). Differences in income levels do not appear to be a vital factor in their support of renewable energy. Question 1: Wind, sun energy, biomass, are renewable sources of energy, called clean or green energy. Would you like more energy in Poland to come from renewable sources? 3% 1% 7% DeEinitely yes Rather yes 32% 57% Rather no DeEinitely no Hard to say Question 2: In your opinion, what kind of energy policy should be primarily conducted in Poland in the near future? Respondents could choose one or two of the following choices: coal and lignite; nuclear energy; oil and gas (shale or natural); renewable sources (i.e. wind, water, sunlight, biomass, geothermal); saving energy; Hard to say. 70% want policy based on renewable energy while 40% want policy geared towards more energy savings. Only a minority of 18% chose coal and lignite, nuclear was only supported by 16% and support for oil and gas was only 23%. Support for coal and lignite (17%) or nuclear energy (9%) in the countryside is also minimal. Question 2: In your opinion, what kind of energy policy should be primarily conducted in Poland in the near future? Using: 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 18% 16% 23% 70% 40% 5% coal and lignite nuclear energy oil and gas (shale or natural) renewable sources and resources (like wind, water, sunlight, biomas, geothermy) saving energy Hard to say

Question 3: Scientists and climatologists working for the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) coming from different UN member countries, including Poland, examine the issue of climate change, its causes and effects, and present possible actions with the goal of preventing these effects. Would you like Poland to be more involved in actions to prevent negative effects of climate change or not? 32% of the people surveyed said definitely yes, 42% or gave a positive response which adds up to 74% in the overall support. 11% said it s hard to say. 3 Question 3. Scientists, climatologists, working for the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC), coming from different UN member countries including Poland examine the issue of climate change, its causes and effects, and present possible actions 0% 4% 11% 11% 41% 32% DeEinitely yes Rather yes Rather no DeEinitely no Hard to say Refusal to answer Conclusion The results indicate massive public support for increased renewable energy production, strong renewable energy policy, increased energy savings and more active climate action by the Polish government to avoid dangerous climate change. Support for coal, nuclear and other fossil fuels, on the other hand, is relatively low. The option to choose up to two answers for Question 2 reveals that as many as 28% of the surveyed chose both the renewable energy and energy savings solution, while less than 4% chose a fossil fuel cluster (coal and lignite, oil and gas options) 4. Only 1% chose coal and lignite, together with nuclear energy. This means that close to one-third of the Poles support a combination of strong renewable energy and energy savings policy, making it the most supported energy policy option. The poll also suggests a marked increase of support for renewable energy and energy savings compared to a similar poll conducted by CBOS in 2010 for the Institute for Sustainable 3 In case of the questions in which the respondent could choose only one answer the general results (in %) might sum up to 99% or 101% (instead of the exact 100%) due to the rounding to integers. 4 Greenpeace provides further information on the data based on which these results are drawn upon request.

Development. 5 In the previous poll, support for the renewable energy based policy was at 56% and energy saving was only 11% 6 compared to the recent poll where renewable energy and energy savings enjoys support levels of 74% and 40% respectively. Overall, the poll reveals the huge disparity between what the Polish citizens want and the Polish government s continuous support and promotion of a coal based energy mix. The government not only lacks a renewable law but single-handedly tries to block more ambitious climate goals at the EU level. Greenpeace recently released the [e]nergy revolution (ER) 7 scenario that outlines the steps for Poland to massively scale up the share of renewable energy, increase energy savings and get rid of its addiction to coal (for which the import trend is growing). Clean energy solutions that can eliminate the dominance of dirty energy are not only available today but are technically and economically feasible. Embracing clean energy today brings the government closer to the future Polish people want. It is time for Prime Minister Donald Tusk and his government to put in the missing ingredient: the strong political will to act to phase out fossil and phase in renewable energy. 5 On the ecological awareness of the Poles, a research by CBOS, Warsaw 2010, link: http://www.ineisd.org.pl/theme/uploadfiles/file/projekty/badanie%20swiadomosci%20ekologicznej%20polakow_%202010_ost.pdf 6 The methodological difference between these similar questions asked in the two researches is that in the 2013 poll the multiple (double) choice has been allowed, whereas in 2010 the surveyed could choose only one energy solution they prefer. Nonetheless, the growing support for the renewable energy in Poland has been observed by CBOS already since 2009 based also on the single choice questions. See the link above, p.17. 7 [R]ewolucja energetyczna dla Polski, Greenpeace Poland, Warsaw 2013 http://www.greenpeace.org/poland/pl/press-centre/dokumenty-i-raporty/rewolucja-energetyczna-dla-polski/

Annex 1: The tables of the socio-demographic variables The numbers in the tables are rounded to integers. The first line (In general) of each table presents a proportional (%) distribution of the opinion in the whole researched population. The following lines present the consecutive distributions according to the particular sociodemographic features. Question 1 Table (q143) E1. Wind, sun energy, biomass, are renewable sources of energy, called clean or green energy. Would you like more energy in Poland to come from renewable sources? Definitely yes Rather yes Rather no Definitely no Hard to say % % % % % Number of people In general 57 32 3 1 7 1066 Sex Men 62 29 4 1 4 509 Women 52 35 3 1 10 557 18-24 66 30 4 124 25-34 63 33 2 1 215 Age 35-44 57 32 7 2 2 183 45-54 60 29 4 1 7 172 55-64 49 35 3 2 11 186 65 and more 48 33 2 1 16 186 Country 54 33 4 1 9 408 Town to 19 999 52 36 3 1 9 172 Place of residence 20 000-99 999 63 29 2 2 4 195 100 000-499 999 58 33 3 0 6 177 500 000 and more 64 26 5 2 4 114 Dolnośląskie 63 28 5 4 82 Kujawsko-pomorskie 51 30 7 11 58 Lubelskie 49 39 2 2 8 60 Lubuskie 59 35 6 28 Łódzkie 50 38 1 1 10 71 Małopolskie 67 26 3 4 92 Mazowieckie 65 27 2 1 5 146 Voivodeship Opolskie 9 70 21 29 Podkarpackie 67 26 4 2 1 58 Podlaskie 73 14 2 11 33 Pomorskie 51 35 4 2 8 62 Śląskie 59 29 2 2 8 130 Świętokrzyskie 55 32 3 10 36 Warmińsko-mazurskie 42 41 7 10 40 Wielkopolskie 61 30 2 1 7 94 Zachodniopomorskie 42 49 7 2 48 Primary 51 31 3 1 14 233 Education Vocational 53 34 5 7 263 Secondary 59 34 2 1 5 355 Higher education 64 29 3 2 2 215 Managers, specialists with higher education 64 29 4 2 1 106 Middle personnel, technicians 65 27 2 6 37 Administration, office workers 60 34 2 4 66 Services 61 26 7 1 4 74 Social and professional Qualified workers 58 37 1 4 135 group Unqualified workers 60 28 7 5 61 Farmers 42 32 12 13 47 Self-employed 67 27 4 2 51 Pensioners 49 37 2 2 9 66 Retired 49 32 2 0 16 222 Pupils and students 66 31 4 66 Unemployed 60 33 1 1 5 84 Assessment of personal financial condition Income per person Housewives and others 50 40 4 6 52 Poor 53 34 3 2 8 137 Average 54 34 2 1 9 496 Good 61 30 4 1 4 434 Up to 500 zł 58 33 3 1 5 151 501-750 52 34 7 1 6 110

Interest in politics Participation in religious practices Independent of religious practice, you consider yourself: 751-1000 58 30 2 10 154 1001-1500 52 37 4 1 7 191 Over 1500 zł 64 24 3 2 6 225 very big you follow in detail almost everything 59 27 9 6 29 big you follow quite carefully what is 63 28 3 4 2 86 happening in politics average you follow only main events 58 33 4 0 4 444 little, negligible you are often not up to date 58 33 2 1 7 319 even with main events none you are practically not interested at all 50 31 3 1 16 181 you would describe it differently 49 37 14 6 A few times a week 52 33 9 6 47 Once a week 53 35 3 0 8 454 1-2 a month 59 31 1 1 8 183 A few times a year 60 29 3 1 6 237 You don t participate 64 29 3 1 3 144 A strong believer 51 36 3 11 87 A believer 57 32 3 1 7 899 Rather a non-believer 71 24 5 47 A non-believer 63 30 3 2 2 32 Question 2 Table ( q144i1_q144i7) In your opinion, what kind of energy policy should be primarily conducted in Poland in the near future? Using: coal and lignite nuclear energy oil and gas (shale or natural) renewa ble sources and resourc es (like wind, water... ) saving energy Hard to say % % % % % % In general 18 16 23 70 40 5 1066 Sex Men 17 25 25 72 35 2 509 Women 18 7 21 68 45 7 557 18-24 14 24 33 66 35 5 124 25-34 20 19 13 75 46 2 215 Age 35-44 12 19 21 74 49 1 183 45-54 16 12 29 74 43 3 172 55-64 26 15 26 67 33 6 186 65 and more 16 8 22 63 34 12 186 Country 17 9 25 71 42 7 408 Town to 19 999 20 19 26 64 34 5 172 Place of residence 20 000-99 999 15 18 21 70 44 2 195 100 000-499 999 19 18 25 73 29 4 177 500 000 and more 19 27 16 73 52 1 114 Dolnośląskie 14 19 27 67 53 3 82 Kujawsko-pomorskie 12 15 24 51 54 6 58 Lubelskie 26 8 20 66 42 6 60 Lubuskie 24 18 25 65 47 28 Łódzkie 9 15 26 76 34 8 71 Małopolskie 15 19 22 72 54 1 92 Mazowieckie 17 18 29 75 40 3 146 Voivodeship Opolskie 43 10 11 59 67 29 Podkarpackie 12 14 25 78 42 3 58 Podlaskie 6 20 21 58 20 11 33 Pomorskie 20 11 19 66 36 8 62 Śląskie 26 16 21 72 22 7 130 Świętokrzyskie 19 16 22 70 39 6 36 Warmińsko-mazurskie 15 9 24 65 48 10 40 Wielkopolskie 16 17 24 78 37 3 94 Zachodniopomorskie 16 16 19 74 30 2 48 Primary 14 10 23 62 35 13 233 Education Vocational 19 13 26 68 44 3 263 Secondary 19 17 26 73 39 3 355 Higher education 18 23 16 76 43 1 215 Num ber of peopl e

Social and professional group Assessment of personal financial condition Income per person Interest in politics Participation in religious practices Independent of religious practice, you consider yourself: Managers, specialists with higher education 14 27 16 81 43 106 Middle personnel, technicians 32 27 28 70 28 3 37 Administration, office worker 13 16 20 73 57 1 66 Services 15 18 24 65 51 2 74 Qualified workers 18 12 25 78 38 2 135 Unqualified workers 21 14 23 75 42 61 Farmers 22 3 18 67 25 11 47 Self-employed 17 25 13 75 49 2 51 Pensioners 13 11 33 62 42 9 66 Retired 21 8 22 63 35 11 222 Pupils and students 15 28 34 68 28 4 66 Unemployed 12 12 25 76 46 4 84 Housewives and others 22 22 27 60 39 2 52 Poor 19 12 31 69 33 4 137 Average 18 14 24 68 38 6 496 Good 17 19 20 74 45 3 434 Up to 500 zł 20 11 26 68 40 4 151 501-750 19 6 26 73 47 4 110 751-1000 15 12 20 75 40 5 154 1001-1500 19 14 23 69 38 7 191 Over 1500 zł 20 27 20 72 39 1 225 very big you follow in detail almost everything 25 13 36 66 26 29 big you follow quite carefully what is happening in 23 32 20 74 28 86 politics average you follow only main events 17 17 24 73 43 2 444 little, negligible you are often not up to date even with 15 12 26 72 42 4 319 main events none you are practically not interested at all 19 13 18 60 36 13 181 you would describe it differently 33 66 73 14 6 A few times a week 21 4 41 64 43 6 47 Once a week 19 9 23 69 47 5 454 1-2 a month 16 15 20 74 33 6 183 A few times a year 18 23 29 67 33 4 237 You don t participate 15 28 13 76 39 3 144 a strong believer 18 5 19 72 38 13 87 a believer 18 15 25 70 41 4 899 rather a non-believer 15 32 9 72 40 3 47 a non-believer 10 48 18 82 35 32

Question 3 Table (q146) E3. Scientists, climatologists, working for the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC), coming from different countries which are UN members, also Poland, examine the issue of climate change, its causes and effects and present possible actions with the goal of preventing these effects. Would you like Poland to be more involved in actions to prevent negative effects of climate change or not? Number of people Definitely yes Rather yes Rather no Definitely no Hard to say Refusal to answer % % % % % % In general 32 41 11 4 11 0 1066 Sex Men 31 38 17 7 8 0 509 Women 32 44 6 2 15 557 18-24 29 40 19 4 9 124 25-34 31 48 11 4 6 215 Age 35-44 32 40 13 5 9 183 45-54 38 40 11 5 7 172 55-64 31 42 9 5 13 186 65 and more 28 36 6 4 25 0 186 Country 28 46 9 3 14 408 Town to 19 999 31 38 11 6 15 172 Place of residence 20 000-99 999 41 38 11 4 7 195 100 000-499 999 28 42 16 4 9 0 177 500 000 and more 36 35 13 9 8 114 Dolnośląskie 42 32 9 2 15 82 Kujawsko-pomorskie 28 33 15 6 17 58 Lubelskie 44 28 12 6 10 60 Lubuskie 42 41 13 4 28 Łódzkie 17 44 16 4 19 71 Małopolskie 26 44 15 3 12 92 Mazowieckie 37 36 7 6 14 146 Opolskie 79 21 29 Voivodeship Podkarpackie 34 50 3 7 6 58 Podlaskie 52 25 5 9 9 33 Pomorskie 27 36 18 12 7 62 Śląskie 33 37 15 2 12 130 Świętokrzyskie 17 65 9 6 4 36 Warmińskomazurskie 21 48 16 4 9 1 40 Wielkopolskie 35 45 7 3 11 94 Zachodniopomorskie 27 58 10 3 2 48 Primary 30 31 11 5 22 233 Education Vocational 32 48 8 1 11 263 Secondary 32 44 12 4 8 355 Higher education 31 40 14 7 7 0 215 Managers, specialists with 32 40 13 8 7 106 higher education Middle personnel, technicians 31 43 18 8 37 Administration, office workers 48 35 10 2 6 66 Services 40 39 10 5 6 74 Social and Qualified workers 26 47 16 3 7 135 professional group Unqualified workers 44 31 13 2 11 61 Farmers 16 56 6 10 11 47 Self-employed 30 36 14 14 6 51 Pensioners 29 46 5 3 18 66 Retired 29 36 7 4 24 0 222 Pupils and students 25 51 15 5 4 66 Unemployed 44 35 13 3 6 84 Housewives and others 16 55 14 16 52 Assessment of Poor 32 34 11 7 16 137 personal financial Average 32 41 10 4 13 496 condition Good 31 44 13 4 8 0 434 Up to 500 zł 35 45 8 5 7 151 501-750 29 49 7 3 12 110 Income per person 751-1000 34 36 9 4 18 154 1001-1500 31 40 14 3 11 191 Over 1500 zł 38 34 13 8 7 225 very big you follow Interest in politics in detail almost 45 31 9 9 7 29 everything

Participation in religious pratices Independent of religious practice, you consider yourself: big you follow quite carefully what is happening in politics average you follow only main events little, negligible you are often not up to date even with main events none you are practically not interested at all you would describe it differently 36 31 18 9 6 86 31 43 12 5 10 0 444 30 44 11 3 11 319 32 38 7 3 20 181 36 50 14 6 A few times a week 36 40 8 2 14 47 Once a week 30 44 11 3 13 454 1-2 a month 29 45 9 4 14 183 A few times a year 32 41 14 5 8 0 237 You don t participate 37 31 13 9 10 144 a strong believer 40 36 8 16 1 87 a believer 31 43 11 4 11 899 rather a non-believer 28 40 12 13 7 47 a non-believer 30 21 22 13 14 32