New Global Study Into Clean Energy Reveals the World Is United on Renewable Energy With Solar Power Being Favoured by 68% of the World’s Population

Followed by wind energy (54%), hydropower (36%) and nuclear energy (22%)

Research data from the US highlights that Republican voters, including Donald Trump, Ron De Santis and Mike Pence supporters, strongly favour solar power over fossil fuel

NEW YORK, LONDON, and AMSTERDAM, September 15, 2023 /3BL/ - Today the largest global values based study ever conducted on renewable energy preferences, from Glocalities, a leading research agency, in collaboration with the world’s leading international advocacy organisation Global Citizen, and The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, a global effort fostering international cooperation for a fast and equitable phase out of fossil fuels, reveals that 68% of the world’s population across all demographics, are united on renewable energy, with solar power the world’s preferred energy source.

The study highlights that solar power, followed by energy sources wind energy (54%), hydropower (36%) and nuclear energy (22%) are the future of our clean energy transition. The report’s findings reinforce that when it comes to energy production the world’s population favours harvesting energy from the natural flow of light, wind and water instead of burning fossil fuels.

Conducted across 21 countries, with 21,290 respondents, the new global research comes at a pivotal moment in the climate crisis. Across all countries featured in the study, citizens overwhelmingly supported the use of solar energy instead of fossil fuels. Solar power is five times more popular than fossil fuels. While currently 77% of the global energy consumption comes from fossil fuels (oil, coal and natural gas), only 14% of the international population favors energy from fossil fuels.

Key report findings include:

• Most in depth global values study into clean energy, conducted across 21 countries, reveals the world is united on renewable energy with solar power being favoured by 68% of the world’s population.
• Harvesting power from the sun scores 5 times higher in preference compared to burning fossil fuels.
• Solar energy is followed by wind energy (54%), hydropower (36%) and nuclear energy (24%)
• Citizens favour solar power over every other energy source, regardless of party politics. Research data from the US further highlights that Republican voters, including Donald Trump, Ron De Santis and Mike Pence supporters, also strongly favour solar power over fossil fuel.
• Report findings reveal that global leaders need to listen to their electorate, upgrade their leadership styles, and deliver on the much needed clean energy transition.
• Change of leadership styles is required to push forward a clean energy transition. With respect to leadership styles, the Visionary (50%) is the most trusted and the least polarizing style. The Connector (47%), who brings people together to make decisions, is the second most trusted leadership style. The Boss (14%), however, is the least trusted and most polarizing leadership style. The pull of solar energy and the need for Visionary and Connecting leadership in the international population offer major opportunities for accelerating the transition to clean energy.

Although the report findings reveal that citizens are ahead of their leaders in transitioning to clean energy, too many fossil fuels remain in the system. Global leaders must act now in order to address these issues and respond to citizens who are using their voices and taking action.

Pursuing policies and framing that can harness this public support, along with an upgrade in leadership styles, is pivotal to facilitating and accelerating the transition to clean energy. International support for the transition to solar and other renewable sources of energy will continue to grow stronger in the future, with the potential to bring talents, countries and interests together.

Global leaders will need to acknowledge this public support for clean energy, and deliver actionable measures like restrictions on exploration and extraction, phasing out subsidies, and redirecting resources towards diversifying energy sources. International cooperation through innovative frameworks like the proposed Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty offer a blueprint for an organized and fair transition—one that ensures power reliability while also protecting workers and communities at risk of being left behind.

Martijn Lampert, Co-Founder and Research Director comments: “Citizens in all 21 countries from our survey abundantly gravitate towards energy from the sun. Harvesting solar power is five times more favored than burning fossil fuels. This study provides leaders with a powerful roadmap to bring people and countries together for a sustainable future.”

Michael Sheldrick, Co-Founder and Chief Policy, Impact and Government Affairs Officer of Global Citizen comments: “The overwhelming robust backing for solar power, as demonstrated by this report, is not merely a statistic; it's a clear signal that there's common ground where political agendas and citizen demands can meet. The encouraging news is that the public is significantly ahead of their governments, with the study underscoring the overwhelming support for clean, renewable energy over fossil fuels. The collective call for cleaner, sustainable energy has never been more urgent. It emphasizes the urgency of bridging the gap between emissions policies and fossil fuel production, while also helping leaders, advocates and campaigners connect with the hearts and minds of their citizens. We now have a clear path to follow; all that remains is the collective will to follow it.”

Alex Rafalowicz, Executive Director, Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative: “The data speaks volumes, even coming from the heartland of conservative politics - fossil fuels are a moral, financial, and political dead-end. All politicians should be on alert now that a political tsunami on energy is coming due to the climate crisis. You can see this data on the streets: ahead of the UN Climate Ambition Summit in New York, millions of people around the globe are participating in more than 400 actions to end fossil fuels - fast, fair and forever. Fossil fuels are more expensive, more dangerous, and less popular everywhere, so we need a global plan to swiftly phase them out.”

Notes to Editors:

● The full report can be downloaded at https://glocalities.com/harnessingsolarpower

About the study

For the Glocalities research 21,290 respondents were interviewed online in 21 countries. The fieldwork took place between 27 January and 20 June 2023 in the following countries: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Türkiye (Turkey), United Kingdom and the United States. These countries cover every continent, and collectively host more than 50% of the world population. The surveys were conducted through the online research panels of Dynata, an agency that is specialized in international fieldwork. In the Netherlands we used the panel of Glocalities’ sister company Motivaction. Quotas were set beforehand, and the datasets were weighed according to national census data with respect to age, gender, education and region. Each country has an equal weight in the total dataset when conducting international analyses.

For the full methodology we refer to the survey report.

About Glocalities

Glocalities is an Amsterdam-based international research agency that specializes in global insights based on values, culture and psychology. The Glocalities research program, that started in 2014, now covers more than 35 countries. NGOs, companies and the public sector use Glocalities insights to connect with audiences, based on a deep understanding of trends, people and cultures. In the international Glocalities surveys we have incorporated several research instruments that provide a deeper understanding of people, such as values segments, universal archetypes and trends. These instruments make it possible to obtain a holistic view of groups of citizens and gain deeper knowledge of their drivers, aspirations and behaviors. Free reports on a multitude of topics such as the transition to a more sustainable future are available on our website. For more information, visit www.glocalities.com

About Global Citizen

Global Citizen is the world’s leading international advocacy organization on a mission to end extreme poverty NOW. Powered by a worldwide community of everyday activists raising their voices and taking action, the movement is amplified by campaigns and events that convene leaders in music, entertainment, public policy, media, philanthropy and the corporate sector. Over the past 10 years, $43.6 billion in commitments announced on Global Citizen platforms has been deployed, impacting nearly 1.3 billion lives. Established in Australia in 2008, Global Citizen’s team operates from New York, Los Angeles, London, Paris, Berlin, Melbourne, Toronto, Johannesburg, Lagos and beyond. Join the movement at globalcitizen.org, download the Global Citizen app, and follow Global Citizen on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, X and LinkedIn.

About the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative

The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative is a global effort fostering international cooperation to end new development of fossil fuels, phase out existing production within the agreed climate limit of 1.5°C, and accelerate a just energy transition by developing plans to support workers, communities and fossil fuel dependent countries to create safe and healthy livelihoods. For more information, visit https://fossilfueltreaty.org/

More information about the study: 
Martijn Lampert, Research Director Glocalities: m.lampert@glocalities.com 
Media Inquiries: Caroline Head, EMEA PR Director, at media@globalcitizen.org