German politicians significantly underestimate the public’s willingness to support stricter climate measures, a new study finds.

A study conducted by researchers Wilhelm Hofmann from Ruhr University Bochum and Timur Sevincer from Leuphana University Lüneburg reveals a striking gap between the perceived and actual willingness of German citizens to support climate protection measures. Nearly half of the population is ready to donate 1% of their income for climate action, yet politicians estimated this figure at less than 20%.

The study surveyed over 2,000 citizens and 1,600 political representatives, uncovering systematic underestimation of public support for impactful climate policies. Notably, the discrepancy was most pronounced for tougher laws and financial sacrifices. While misjudgments were consistent across most political parties, AfD politicians underestimated public support significantly more than others. Researchers attribute these gaps to the psychological phenomenon of pluralistic ignorance, where individuals wrongly assume others hold different views.