This book examines how environmental attitudes and behaviours are evolving across Europe in an age shaped by climate crisis, covid pandemic, wartime, economic stress, energy and other crises – an emerging polycrisis. Drawing on decades of International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) Environment data, it traces shifts in worldviews and lifestyles.

The chapters explore how Europeans think about environmental problems, how their priorities change over time, and how everyday lifestyles differ across countries. The volume investigates risk perceptions, public trust in science, ideas of progress and growth, and the ways in which political identities – from far left to far right – shape perceptions of climate change.

The book also analyses conditions that encourage or hinder environmental activism. Comparative case studies from Italy, Spain, France, Finland, Austria, and Lithuania reveal the diversity of European environmentalism.

By combining longitudinal data, cross-national comparison, and sociological interpretation, the book offers an accessible portrait of how European societies understand and respond to environmental and related issues today. It is essential reading for researchers, policymakers, and anyone interested in Europe’s environmental future.