Individual Willingness to Bear Environmental Costs: Evidence from a Large-Scale Survey in Greece

Abstract This study investigates the determinants of individuals’ willingness to bear economic and lifestyle costs for environmental protection in Greece. The study conceptualizes willingness not as a direct monetary valuation, but as an attitudinal readiness to accept economic and non-economic sacrifices associated with environmental protection. With data drawn from a large-scale survey conducted in Greece in 2025, the analysis explores how demographic characteristics, economic capacity, climate-related attitudes, institutional trust, and regional factors influence citizens’ readiness to support climate action. For the purpose of the analysis, a composite indicator is constructed, and a hierarchical multiple regression framework is employed. Overall, the findings demonstrate that willingness to pay for environmental protection in Greece is not driven by a single dimension, but rather by the combined effect of socioeconomic conditions, attitudes, and contextual factors. The study contributes to the literature by providing an integrated empirical assessment of environmental willingness to pay in a Southern European country undergoing a green transition.