The majority of young people in Serbia, 69% of them, believe that fossil fuels are one of the main causes of climate change, and the green transition initially associates them with the use of renewable energy sources, according to research conducted by the Association RES Serbia with the support of the European Union and WWF Adria, as part of the project “Raising Awareness on Climate Change and Green Transition”.
A survey conducted among 525 young people aged 18 to 30 from all over Serbia shows that the majority of respondents, 87%, define thermal power plants as major polluters in Serbia, and 90% support greater production and consumption of energy from renewable sources.
Young people see the greatest potential in solar energy (42%), and a significantly smaller number in hydro energy (22%) and wind energy (19%), while the respondents do not recognize geothermal sources, biomass and biogas as sources with much potential in Serbia.
Respondents single out old, inefficient plants as the biggest energy problem in Serbia
The term green transition initially associates the participants of the survey with the use of renewable energy sources, sustainable development, solar panels, environmental protection, electric vehicles (EV), EU regulations, a just transition and a balance of all energy sources.
According to the respondents, the biggest energy problems in Serbia are old inefficient plants, problems on the grid, dependence on non-renewable sources, uncertainty in supply and regulations.
The largest number of young people (71%) believe that thermal power plants, on the one hand, inevitably provide energy, but are also major environmental pollutants. In addition, another 16% of young people point out that these plants do not provide enough energy in Serbia, but that, incidentally, they create pollution through their work. Collectively, as many as 87% of young people define thermal power plants as major polluters in Serbia.
Young people overwhelmingly support the transition to greater production and consumption of energy from renewable sources. Such a decision is fully supported by slightly more than half of the respondents, 53% to be exact, while another 37% mostly support it.
The research showed that young people see the greatest potential in solar energy (42%), and a significantly smaller number in hydro energy (22%) and wind energy (19%). Geothermal sources, biomass and biogas are not recognized by respondents as sources with much potential in Serbia. This is supported by the first associations with renewable sources, which are solar panels, the Sun, Đerdap, wind farms in Vojvodina, wind and hydro power plants (HPP).
When it comes to the impact of wind farms on the fertility of the land on which they are located, the majority of respondents (52%) believe that wind farms have a neutral impact, while slightly over a third of respondents believe that their existence actually has a very positive (12%) or mostly positive (26%) impact on soil fertility.
Young people recognize business perspectives in the RES sector
The majority of young people (64%), believe that investments in renewable sources in Serbia will only have positive results in the future. Young people also recognize business prospects in the RES sector through various spheres such as science, the non-governmental sector, the media, but also by working in the plants themselves.
It should be noted that the development of renewable sources and the opening of new plants in Serbia predominantly evoke three emotions in young people – hope, satisfaction, and fear.
Hope refers to novelties such as turning to alternatives in relation to the current dominance of coal-fired energy production, but also to opportunities for future generations. Satisfaction concerns positive changes that affect the creation of better conditions for the quality of life and new opportunities for young people.
Fear prevails when talking about renewable sources because they are not without certain flaws. In this regard, young people are most concerned about the impact of this development on biodiversity, while anxiety is caused by the very quality of these investments in Serbia.
Respondents fear high temperatures as a consequence of climate change
The first associations of young people with climate change are global warming, warm nights, the greenhouse effect, weather conditions, and adaptation.
Young people believe that the development of climate change is primarily influenced by thermal power plants, outdated industrial production methods, individual furnaces, illegal landfills, and agriculture. The use of fossil fuels is recognized by the majority of respondents (69%) as one of the main causes of the development of climate change. However, nearly a third of young people believe that fossil fuels do not have much or no influence at all on the development of climate change.
Respondents assess that climate change mainly affects their daily habits, and 55% believe that climate change will have a significant impact on young people in the future. Focus group participants emphasize that climate change will bring with it risks to the health of citizens, but also the emergence of new viruses and diseases. According to respondents, climate change is already affecting when we wake up, how productive we are at work, how much time we can spend outdoors, and it leads to additional living costs.
The largest number of young people (47%) single out high temperatures as the effect of climate change that will have the greatest negative impact on future generations of young people in Serbia. For 19% of young people, the greatest negative impact will be droughts, for 14% it will be heat waves, and for 13% heavy rainfall.
Only 22% of young people use Internet portals as a source of information on these topics
When it comes to information about climate change and the green transition, the majority of young people in Serbia (52%) rely on social networks, while 22% use internet portals as a source of information. Overall, as many as 3⁄4 of young people use modern digital media to get information about these topics.
These responses are expected, because young people today rely on modern rather than traditional media such as the press and TV for information on numerous social topics. It is interesting that a considerable percentage of young people (15%) rely on their environment for information, i.e. on conversations with family members, friends, and acquaintances.
The research shows that young people believe that information about climate change and renewable energy sources is not sufficiently accessible to them. They are divided in their opinions, emphasizing that information is mostly available (34%), and that it is mostly unavailable (46%). Polarization of opinions is also present among young people in focus groups. Young people believe that there has been an increase in reporting on these topics compared to the period 10 years ago, but that this has not necessarily led to an increase in the quality of content and greater development of awareness among citizens themselves.
About the research
The research was conducted between November 21 and December 25, 2024. 525 young people aged 18 to 30 from all over Serbia were surveyed, while 16 young people participated in focus groups.
This research was conducted with the financial assistance of the European Union and WWF as part of the project “Raising Awareness on Climate Change and Green Transition” implemented by RES Serbia. The Association RES Serbia is solely responsible for the content of this research and its content does not in any way reflect the official views of the European Union.
You can view the full report below.