Reports

How greenwashing, poor-quality products and bad advice are stopping consumers from investing sustainably.
Findings from an 11-country consumer survey on sustainable finance.

The digital euro, if issued by the European Central Bank (ECB), would offer a public digital payment method for the euro area, alongside physical cash. As EU policymakers and the ECB continue developing its design, this survey aims to inform about consumer preferences related to digital payments across Europe.

To ensure the digital euro is successful, it has to be an attractive new payment option, that addresses consumers’ preferences and concerns when paying digitally. Existing studies, such as the ECB’s Study on the Payment Attitudes of Consumers in the Euro area, already identify key factors that would persuade consumers to try new payment solutions: higher security standards, ease of use, lower cost, more privacy, and speed.

This new survey (of 10,000 consumers in 10 eurozone countries) directly asks consumers what they expect from the digital euro and how they see the future of digital payments.

We asked consumers about their personal experience with their heat pump in France, Spain, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. To this end, a consumer organisation in each country conducted interviews with six to eight heat pump owners last summer (2024) to gain a snapshot of their experience.

The testimonies highlight the benefits heat pumps can bring to people’s homes and show what policymakers can learn from their experience.

This is the executive summary of that exercise. To read the full report, click here.