Sustainable Construction Through the Eyes of Citizens

Key Finding #1: High Awareness but Limited Expertise, with Significant Gaps Across Demographic Groups 

84% of citizens say they are familiar with sustainable construction, and nearly 4 in 10 (39%) consider themselves knowledgeable about the topic.

However, familiarity varies widely, with significant geographic disparities: in Europe, 65% of citizens in Romania report being knowledgeable about sustainable construction, compared with 14% in the Czech Republic; in Asia, the figure reaches 60% in India, compared with 29% in Malaysia.

Differences are also pronounced by education level and age. 48% of university-educated citizens say they are familiar with the concept, compared with 27% of those without a higher-education degree. Similarly, 46% of 25–34-year-olds say they are familiar with the concept, compared with 25% of those aged 65 and over.

Key Finding #2: A Definition Still Dominated by Materials, but Increasingly Shaped by Resilience 

For citizens, sustainable construction is primarily associated with the use of environmentally friendly materials (35%), a result driven by Latin America (54%). Energy efficiency also ranks highly (31%), particularly in European countries (39% across Europe).

One notable finding is that building resilience to climate hazards has risen by 5 points compared with 2025 and now ranks as the top priority in Africa (39%), Asia-Pacific (35%), and the Middle East (32%).

Finally, occupant health and well-being are gaining ground, reaching 19% (up 4 points) and are increasingly seen as a key component of sustainable construction, particularly in Africa and Asia-Pacific, where more than one in four citizens cite this issue.

Key Finding #3: A Priority for Citizens, with Europe and North America Lagging Behind

Sustainable construction is gaining ground as a priority among citizens: 63% now consider it a priority, up 3 points. However, this strong overall figure masks significant geographic differences.

In North America, only 54% of citizens consider sustainable construction a priority, while the figure stands at just 53% in Europe. Despite slight increases, both regions continue to lag significantly behind, by at least 15 points compared with levels elsewhere, notably 76% in Asia-Pacific.

The gap is particularly pronounced in Europe, the only region where several countries fall below the threshold of one in two citizens considering sustainable construction a priority: Switzerland (49%), Germany (42%), Poland (38%), and the Czech Republic (19%). This is mainly accompanied by a shift toward the response “important but not a priority,” suggesting that the issue is more about the strength of support than outright rejection of the topic.

Key Finding #4: Competitiveness and Public Awareness at the Heart of Citizens’ Priorities

For citizens, improving the competitiveness of sustainable solutions is the top priority for accelerating the development of sustainable construction (32%), followed by raising public awareness (29%) and growing demand for greater transparency around building performance (28%), which is up slightly.

These results point to two key expectations: making sustainable solutions more economically accessible and providing clearer, verifiable information about their actual benefits.

These priorities are broadly shared, although some regional differences emerge:

• Latin America places greater emphasis on raising public awareness (38%); 
• Africa prioritizes public awareness and stakeholder collaboration (33%); 
• Asia-Pacific places greater emphasis on performance transparency and bio-based materials (37% for each); 
• Europe gives greater importance to renovation (23%).