Doubts about the severity of climate change are growing in Czech society, according to survey data released yesterday by the STEM agency, as the proportion of Czechs who are convinced of the scientific consensus on climate change and support action to tackle it has fallen from 34% to 28% over the past five years.
The share of respondents who are concerned about the situation and take the issue seriously is now 15%, down from 22% in 2020. Correspondingly, the proportion of those who are either sceptical or in outright denial of climate change and doubt that humans are to blame has risen to 38%, according to the August STEM survey. One-fifth of society is unsure about the issue.
“In August 2025, groups more emphasising climate change made up about 43% of the population. More than a third – 38% – profile themselves as rather sceptical about climate change, and a fifth remain uncertain,” the survey authors said.
The report attributes the trend to the politicisation of the issue, as the debate has shifted from the previous broadly stated goals to specific proposals.
“The part of the public that rejects these measures also tends to downplay the problem itself in their arguments – this is reflected in lower levels of belief that climate change is man-made, or the view that we should tackle the problem later,” said STEM analyst Martin Philipp.
Politically, the most pro-climate voters are supporters of the Pirates and Greens, followed by the Mayors and Independents (STAN) and the Spolu coalition (ODS, KDU-CSL, and TOP 09). Among supporters of the opposition ANO movement, the distribution of opinions is relatively even.
Potential voters of the Stacilo! alliance (containing the Communists and Social Democrats) tend to be more sceptical, and strongly sceptical attitudes prevail among supporters of the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD). Negative attitudes towards climate change science are most pronounced among supporters of the Motorists, two thirds of whom classify themselves as climate change deniers or sceptics.
The survey also found that only 15% of respondents knew exactly what the new ETS-2 emission allowance trading scheme entails, and a further 33% said they had a general awareness. 29% of those surveyed had not heard of ETS-2 at all, and almost a quarter of the population have only a vague idea of what exactly the new emissions trading scheme is and what the implications might be.
Supporters of Motorists, SPD and Stacilo! believe they have an above-average awareness of the issue, which according to the STEM authors is related to the fact that those parties often mention the issue in their campaigns.
Overall, however, negative expectations prevail regarding the introduction of ETS-2, according to the survey. Roughly half of people associate the system more with price increases or bureaucracy. The positive effects of ETS-2, such as cleaner heating and transport, are perceived rather marginally by the majority.
“These positive effects resonate more often among supporters of Spolu, STAN and the Pirates parties, where there are also more pro-climate-oriented voters,” STEM added.
