Climate Action Behavioural Science

The EPA is committed to furthering and supporting scientific knowledge and research. The EPA has engaged in and funded behavioural science research for climate action. The aim is to understand the preferences, behaviours, and attitudes of individuals with regards to climate action. As well as assessing the Irish public’s opinion on climate related issues.

Behavioural science research facilitates and creates approaches to climate policy development and implementation. This includes behavioural change and communications. This will benefit:

Researchers
Policymakers
Government departments/agencies
Communications experts
Other interested parties

EPA Behavioural Insights Unit

Provide the evidence base for who and how best to target activation, engagement, and behavioural change on climate action.
Develop an understanding of the underlying psychological & cultural factors that influence the public including attitudes, policy preferences & behaviours.
Be a resource and provide advisory service to national, regional and local stakeholders.
Provide data, tools and techniques that allow for effective public engagement over time.
Support national coordination, networking, and capacity building.
Establish a process for ongoing monitoring and reporting.

Behavioural science research aligns with the objectives of the National Dialogue on Climate Action (NDCA). The NDCA aims to be a hub for understanding: public climate change knowledge, attitudes, policy preferences, behaviour and the psychological and cultural factors that influence the public.

Latest Behavioural Insights Unit Publications:

A review of Climate Change Attitudes Using a Person Centred Framework (No 1. 2024)

Gap Analysis on Behavioural Research Related to Climate Policy and Interventions (No 2. 2024)

Encouraging Cooperation in Climate Collective Action Problems (No 3. 2024)

Latest Climate Change in the Irish Mind Publications:

CCIM Insight Report Wave 2 No. 1: Life Stage

Climate Change in the Irish Mind Wave 2, Report 1

Climate Change in the Irish Mind Wave 2, Report 2

Climate Change in the Irish Mind Wave 1 - Insight report 1: Support for Climate Policies

Climate Change in the Irish Mind Wave 1 - Insight report 2: Climate Risk Perceptions

Climate Change in the Irish Mind Wave 1 - Insight report 3: Worry about Climate Change impacts

Climate Change in the Irish Mind Wave 1 - Insight report 4: Intention Action Dynamic

Climate Change in the Irish Mind Wave 1, Report 1

Climate Change's Four Irelands Wave 1, Report 2

Climate Attitudes and Literacy in the Civil Service

The Climate Attitudes and Literacy in the Civil Service (CALCS) 2025 survey was developed under the Government’s Climate Action Plan and was led by the Environmental Protection Agency, with the Department of the Environment, Climate, and Communications as a main stakeholder. The CALCS survey was carried out in April 2024 and was based on the lessons learned from the EPA’s Climate Change in the Irish Mind (CCIM) research program.

This report expands on the questionnaire from 2023's CCIM Wave 2. Approximately a third of all civil servants in the sampling frame took part (N = 6,286), representing an extremely large and robust sample size. The results show that there is extremely strong alignment between the findings of CCIM Wave 2 and CALCS 2025, despite differing populations and methodologies.

The survey covers a wide variety of topics and themes:

Climate Change Beliefs; Worry about Climate Change Impacts and Extreme Weather; Climate Change Risk Perceptions; Personal Experience of Climate Change; Climate change Policy Support; Public Sector Climate Action Leadership; Consumer Behaviour; Norms and Media Sources; and Climate Literacy.

Access the CALCs 2025 Report here: Climate Attitudes and Literacy in the Civil Service (2025)

Further Information

For more climate related resources, please visit ‘Climate Change & You’ section of the EPA website.

For more Information on the CCIM project, please visit the Climate Change in the Irish Mind webpage.