National survey results: Luxembourgers want to save energy and resources
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Results of national survey on sobriety: Luxembourgers want to save energy and resources
The IPCC defines sobriety as a set of measures and practices that avoid the demand for energy, materials, land and water, while ensuring human well-being for all within planetary limits. It completes a triptych of energy transition alongside energy efficiency and renewable energies. The IPCC has stressed the importance of the gap between national policies and the real potential for sobriety. Other bodies, such as the European Scientific Advisory Board and the International Energy Agency, are calling for a more sober approach. According to the IPCC, sobriety is essential if we are to tackle the three environmental crises (climate, biodiversity and pollution).
It's a lever for action that offers us considerable room for manoeuvre, and one that is currently under-utilized. In many cases, its implementation is a matter of common sense - what process doesn't seek to reduce its energy consumption for a given result? - but it can also be associated with increased constraints, reduction and the notion of limits. All less sexy aspects, in consumer societies where wealth, and by extension social distinction, are directly correlated with energy consumption [1].
CELL wanted to find out how Luxembourg's population felt about sobriety through a national survey conducted with Quest. What are the potential benefits? What fears and doubts? Which stakeholders are involved, and what are their actions? How is the acceptability of certain measures perceived? Where are the no-go's? Where is the room for maneuver? Although sobriety is a specific theme, this survey covers the entire ecological field. The results are summarized in 3 lessons and 4 focuses, followed by additional findings.
3 key lessons from the survey
Lesson 1 - the population considers that a reduction in energy and resource consumption is necessary
79% of the population subscribe totally or partially to the need to reduce our consumption of energy and resources. There are 20% who are not convinced of this need. This is a fairly broad plebiscite in favor of sobriety, which provides a basis for deepening its scope of application in national and communal public policies, as well as in companies and among residents. Only 15% of the measures in the National Energy (Climate) Plan, the main document for environmental strategy, deal with sobriety. The survey, on the other hand, confirms that the population supports the need to save energy and resources. As a reminder, during the Klima-Biergerrot citizens' consultation, over 80% of the measures requested included sobriety [2]. We therefore call for a deepening of sobriety policies with thematic measures (mobility, residential, tertiary, industry), monitoring of dedicated indicators and clear objectives. The CLEVER energy scenario provides a good overview of the levers for action and potential measures [2].
Lesson 2 - The main obstacle to implementing sobriety: doubts as to whether the majority of consumers are ready to reduce their consumption
One obstacle in particular stands out: the respondents doubt that the majority of consumers are ready to reduce their consumption. We can put this into perspective with a bias already well identified in the literature: we underestimate the favorable behaviors and dispositions of other individuals to act against global warming. Studies show, on the contrary, that populations are more favorable than their self-image. This biased defeatism is counterproductive. We're less likely to take action when we think we're in the minority. Remedying this bias could significantly increase efforts. This theme was taken up on a global scale in a recent Guardian article [3]. A recent study demonstrated this mechanism on several themes in Luxembourg (food, energy policy, mobility, etc.). For example, 65% of those surveyed said they supported a proactive, supported energy policy for housing, but when asked what proportion of the population they thought would support such a measure, the figure fell to just 45% [4]. Our job is to narrow this gap. Yes, the majority of us are ready to change our behavior and want more proactive policies.
Lesson 3 - The public relies on public authorities and asks for better guidance
Public authorities are mainly involved, with a responsibility that is all the greater given the global scale of decision-making. The European Union is the main target, which may logically correspond to the significant role played by this body in the drafting of laws and regulations transposed in Luxembourg. As far as global concertation bodies are concerned, this concern can be paralleled by the verbatim of those surveyed, who emphasize that Luxembourg's, or even Europe's, voluntarism only makes sense if all global players join in the effort. While the greenhouse effect knows no borders, national adaptation policies and measures to protect biodiversity have local impacts. Local players are being called on to play their part, from governments to local authorities. Those surveyed are also calling on businesses and consumers to speed up the transition.
4 focus
Focus 1 - The benefits of sobriety mainly expected for biodiversity, climate and health
Biodiversity, climate risk and health benefits are cited more often than potential socio-economic benefits.
Focus 2 - Companies are expected to focus on repair, product lifespan and resource savings
There is a clear plebiscite towards companies concerning the lifespan of objects and repair. While a succession of European directives have advanced the right to repair, much remains to be done to make repair services accessible, competitive and practical, to guarantee access to spare parts, to reduce hardware, software and cultural obsolescence, and in general to reduce the rate at which equipment is renewed. This also benefits the consumer's wallet. Initiatives such as the reparability index [5], repair bonuses, the promotion of durable and repairable appliances, and the sanctioning of programmed obsolescence should be able to meet these expectations.
Focus 3 - Supporting, raising awareness and demanding: recommendations for public authorities
The public suggests using both carrots and sticks, while hoping to avoid more restrictive laws for citizens. It should be noted that the social acceptability of environmental measures can be increased if they are accompanied by specific support. Again according to the study cited above, none of the six proposed measures (e.g.: poor insulation rental tax, regulation on red meat, fossil fuel rationing, etc.) attracted more than 50% in support. However, four of them exceed this threshold when accompanying measures are put in place [6]. Hence the importance of appropriate support and education, without which measures will remain unpopular, considered unfair or misunderstood.
Focus 4 - A population ready to change on several consumption behaviors but less on mobility
While these statements should not be taken at face value (the reduction in meat consumption is often surveyed positively, even though actual consumption has not fallen over the last decade), here is a snapshot of the areas in which the population is likely to change. Consumer behavior seems the most likely to change (food, clothing, shopping), as well as thermal comfort. When it comes to mobility, however, reluctance is strongest, whether in terms of car use - where Luxembourg ranks first in Europe in terms of the number of cars per 1,000 inhabitants - or leisure aviation. Yet this is where a significant proportion of our CO2 emissions are generated. Between comfort and social status, it seems difficult to make progress on sobriety in this area. The success of the recently opened car-sharing and public transport lane on the A3 will be a good indicator to watch.
Additional results
A huge gap between the perceived impact of one's household and its actual impact
82% of those surveyed consider themselves to have a moderate, low or minimal environmental impact. This self-assessment differs greatly from the actual impact of households living in Luxembourg. L'overshoot day Luxembourg's CO2 emissions per capita are the highest for a European Union country [7]. The question focused on the household, not on the impact of Luxembourg society as a whole. The bias at play could be that everyone considers themselves more virtuous than the average and tends to minimize their impact.
Sobriety, a little-known concept
The concept of sobriety (Suffizienz in German, sufficiency is still little known among Luxembourg residents. It still seems limited to the political and cultural sphere in which it has developed. However, it adds a dimension that is absent from the two other axes of the energy transition that are much better known to the general public: energy efficiency (the performance labels found on household appliances, for example) and renewable energies. Eco-gestures and calls to reduce consumption, which deal with reduction and contribute to sobriety, have also become part of everyday practice. These gestures, like the symbolic "turn off the lights", while necessary, remain limited in scope and insufficient, and sobriety brings a more systemic and impactful approach, going beyond individual responsibility.
The concept was not easy to use during the survey phase, and appears to be little-known as yet. We don't focus on words, and jargon can be counterproductive. We are not imposing the use of the word "sobriety" as an end in itself, and we will use it in the contexts that lend themselves to it, hoping to contribute to its wider use.
A variety of obstacles identified within the household
A dominant trilogy of external barriers
Verbatim
After the figures, the words. Here is a selection of the verbatim collected during the survey. One of the recurring points concerns the need for exemplarity on the part of the public authorities, the political class and also the most privileged classes, without which reductions in consumption cannot be accepted by the rest of the population.
Conclusion: call for more sobriety measures
CELL is positively surprised by the widespread support for the need to reduce our consumption of resources and energy. There was a risk about the result when the survey was launched. It's therefore a hope, and also a necessity, in view of the main doubt expressed: to reduce the bias in perception that individuals have of the rest of society, and to accompany society towards neutrality and sustainability. Sobriety gives us additional room for manoeuvre, speeds up the transition and reduces its costs, brings socio-economic benefits and is relevant to the multiple challenges facing Europe [8].
We therefore invite the government to take the measure, and to deepen its use as described above. Today, greenhouse gas emissions have reduction targets, so we also suggest setting a target for reducing the material footprint. An accounting system that takes into account the whole impact, both domestically and from foreign imports. Today, more than 60% of CO2 emissions are not included in our calculations [8]. While this can be explained by methodological issues, this blind spot needs to be overcome.
The private sector will also find inspiration in meeting consumer demands. For our part, we're continuing to push sobriety forward at national and municipal level, and to assess its potential for Luxembourg. CELL will continue to bring new developments on the subject.
Detailed results : link
Sources :
[1] https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/energy-use-per-person-vs-gdp-per-capita
[2] https://clever-energy-scenario.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/CLEVER_final-report.pdf p.33
[3] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/22/spiral-of-silence-climate-action-very-popular-why-dont-people-realise?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
[4] https://meco.gouvernement.lu/dam-assets/assets-luxembourg-strategie/soc2050-final-report-022024.pdf
[5] note the site oekotopten.lu in Luxembourg, or the reparability index in France, which is displayed directly in stores and which studies show has had an impact on consumers' choice of more repairable products.
[8] https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/6474294#titre-bloc-23
[9] Less dependence on fossil imports, greater resilience to shocks and volatility, lower transition costs (especially infrastructure), lower socio-economic impacts, faster achievement of climate objectives - https://eeb.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/sufficiency_manifesto.pdf
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