Overview
Between 6 and 13 July 2026, Focaldata surveyed 5,407 adults across Germany, France, Spain, Poland and Hungary for Loom. The poll follows Loom’s Dependence report, which mapped the risks created by Europe’s reliance on China for clean-energy technology, and asked what trade-offs people would accept to reduce that reliance.
Alongside direct questions, respondents completed a choice experiment: eight paired choices between energy strategies that traded off household bills, where the technology is made, domestic jobs, security of supply for defence and the speed of the rollout.
What shapes energy preferences
Household energy bills were the strongest determinant overall. Where clean-energy technology is made came second, ahead of domestic jobs. Sourcing ranked among the two strongest attributes in every country except Hungary, and outweighed lower bills in France and Poland.
| Attribute | Importance (percentage points) |
|---|---|
| Energy bills | 23 |
| Sourcing | 19 |
| Domestic jobs | 11 |
| Defence security | 10 |
| Rollout speed | 5 |
Support for domestic production
Asked how Europe should respond to dependence on China for clean-energy technology, respondents backed domestic production by wide margins. Abandoning clean energy was opposed on balance.
View data table
| Response | Oppose | Support |
|---|---|---|
| Build at home, even if rollout is slower | 9 | 70 |
| Build at home, even if short-term costs are higher | 11 | 67 |
| Keep importing from China, quickly and cheaply | 31 | 34 |
| Abandon clean energy because dependence is too risky | 39 | 31 |
Support by country
Net support for building at home remained positive in all five countries, for a slower rollout and for higher short-term costs. Only populist-right voters supported abandoning clean energy because of dependence; every other voting family rejected it.
View data table
| Country | Even if rollout is slower | Even if short-term costs are higher |
|---|---|---|
| France | +67 | +63 |
| Poland | +67 | +65 |
| Spain | +65 | +58 |
| Germany | +55 | +51 |
| Hungary | +48 | +45 |
Where technology is made
Domestic production was preferred to a Europe-and-allies approach in Spain, France, Poland and Hungary. In Germany, the two were essentially level. Chinese production at the cheapest price was the least preferred option in every country.
Estimated chance that a package is chosen, by sourcing option and country. The centre line at 50% marks no effect on choice. Full conjoint sample, n=5,407.
View data table
| Country | Domestic | Europe & allies | Mix of countries | China, cheapest price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 57.3% | 56.6% | 49.1% | 37.3% |
| Spain | 58.2% | 54.7% | 47.3% | 40.3% |
| France | 62.8% | 52.6% | 48.2% | 36.7% |
| Poland | 58.7% | 56.2% | 48.3% | 37.2% |
| Hungary | 55.1% | 53.2% | 48.2% | 43.8% |
Preferred trade partners
Respondents rated new AI, defence or energy trade deals most positively with European neighbours and allied democracies. China scored +10; Russia scored −38.
View data table
| Country | Net score |
|---|---|
| Norway | +56 |
| Italy | +50 |
| Germany | +50 |
| France | +50 |
| Japan | +48 |
| United Kingdom | +46 |
| Australia | +42 |
| South Korea | +21 |
| United States | +19 |
| Brazil | +12 |
| China | +10 |
| India | +2 |
| Indonesia | +2 |
| Qatar | −4 |
| Russia | −38 |
Supply-chain risks
Seventy-five per cent were concerned that the United States could use tariffs or export controls against EU industry in response to Europe’s use of Chinese technology, the highest result among the six risks tested. In Hungary, concern was close to neutral on most measures.
Loom’s earlier Dependence report ranked US retaliation among the two highest risks from reliance on Chinese low-carbon technology, measured by likelihood and impact.
| Risk | Concerned |
|---|---|
| US tariffs / export controls on EU industry | 75% |
| Long-term harm to industries & jobs | 73% |
| China cutting off key materials | 71% |
| China gaining leverage over Europe | 70% |
| Relying on China for defence materials | 70% |
| China disrupting clean-energy supplies | 68% |
Perceptions of Chinese supply
| Technology | Naming China as main supplier |
|---|---|
| Batteries | 52% |
| Electric vehicles | 50% |
| Solar panels | 33% |
| Wind turbines | 17% |
Effect of additional information
Half the sample saw a short factual summary of China’s role in clean-energy supply chains. Compared with respondents who did not see it, their concern was higher, while support for building at home was almost unchanged.
View data table
| Response | No summary | Saw summary |
|---|---|---|
| Build even if slower | +60 | +62 |
| Build even if costlier | +56 | +56 |
| US tariffs | +50 | +56 |
| Harm to industries and jobs | +47 | +51 |
| China cutting off materials | +43 | +53 |
| China’s leverage | +41 | +43 |
| Defence dependence | +40 | +44 |
| China disrupting supplies | +35 | +45 |
Methodology and sources
Focaldata surveyed 5,407 adults aged 18 and over in Germany, France, Spain, Poland and Hungary between 6 and 13 July 2026. National samples were Germany 1,087, France 1,004, Spain 1,118, Poland 1,135 and Hungary 1,063. Results were weighted separately in each country by age, gender, education, region and past vote. The survey used online non-probability samples, so a conventional margin of error does not apply.
The survey included a choice-based conjoint experiment, with eight paired forced-choice tasks across five attributes, and a split-sample information experiment. One group answered without additional information (n=2,733); the other saw a short factual summary of China’s role in clean-energy supply chains first (n=2,674).
Attribute importance is the difference in marginal means between the most and least preferred level of each attribute. Sourcing results show marginal means for each option. Concern and support/oppose figures use the no-summary group and exclude ‘don’t know’; conjoint and trade-partner figures use the full sample.
Full polling deck
Source: Focaldata · © Loom Strategy Centre 2026