Sustainable transition measures require civic commitment to socio-economic shifts that can be particularly far-reaching in some territories, but to what extent are citizens' aware of the climate change policies that affect them and are they willing to incur some of the costs associated with such transitions? Furthermore, what do they think with regard to participating in the formulation of these policies and what factors shape their perceptions? This report presents the results of a comprehensive survey of citizens across five EU countries and "Just Transition Fund" (JTF) regions, exploring these crucial questions. The report is structured around four specific research questions: citizens' awareness of climate change policies and positions on climate issues; how citizens' attitudes regarding participation in the policy process are structured; what factors shape these attitudes, especially among the least engaged, and lastly what are citizens' preferences regarding how participatory processes should be designed.

The survey reveals significant disparities in awareness of EU climate policies. It identifies two key dimensions of climate attitudes: concern and willingness to bear transition costs. Interestingly, high concern does not necessarily translate into a willingness to incur personal costs, highlighting the challenge of converting environmental concern into actionable commitment.

The analysis of participatory attitudes confirms the validity of the DUST ability/willingness model, albeit with some adjustments. It reveals a three-dimensional structure of participatory attitudes: "Able" (internal political efficacy), "Unable" (external barriers), and "Unwilling" (negative perceptions of the institutional setting). These dimensions show that citizens' attitudes are multi-faceted and influenced by both internal and external factors.
The study of factors shaping participatory attitudes indicates significant roles for socio-demographic variables like age, gender, education, and income, as well as political factors and social capital indicators -most notably institutional trust and to a lesser extent civic engagement. These findings align with theoretical expectations and highlight areas for policy intervention.

Lastly, the survey's conjoint experiment indicates that citizens value inclusive, transparent, and impactful participatory processes, preferring open recruitment procedures, convening authorities from the local level, and meaningful policy impacts. To enhance participation, policies should aim to boost citizens' confidence, create supportive environments, and tailor approaches to engage underrepresented groups.