In 2022, the Center for Advanced Studies at Eurac Research, in collaboration with the Regional Institute for Statistics ASTAT, conducted a pioneering study on sustainability and climate change. As part of the ASTAT panel "So denkt Südtirol / Così pensa l’Alto Adige," this study explored attitudes, perceptions, and personal behaviors related to these pressing issues. Launched in 2022, the ASTAT panel offers a new approach to quickly gathering statistical insights on a range of topics. In the summer of 2023, the collaboration entered its second phase.

A survey conducted among the South Tyrolean population focused on two critical yet often overlooked aspects of the climate crisis: emotions and inequalities. Both factors play a key role in shaping socio-political responses to climate change but have received little attention in South Tyrol until now.

The study provides valuable insights into how people in South Tyrol emotionally respond to climate change and its consequences, as well as the social tensions and conflicts that arise from it. Since the survey was based on a random sampling method, the results are considered representative of South Tyrol’s population as a whole.