Two-thirds (67%) of Europeans want the EU to spend more on protecting the environment and more than half (52%) believe current action is insufficient, according to Eurobarometer, the European Commission's pollsters.
Almost 28,000 people across the 28 member states were surveyed to gauge opinion on where the EU should target its resources. Support for more environmental protection was highest in Sweden (83%) and lowest in Estonia (45%).
Support for more intervention was also relatively low in the UK and Ireland, at 59% and 62% respectively.
The survey results also revealed a slight decline in overall support for the importance of spending on environmental protection, with 20% of those polled regarding it a priority in 2015 compared with 23% in 2008.
Overall, young women tended to be more supportive of EU intervention than older generations.