Summary

This workshop, hosted by the Infra4NextGen project, introduces participants to the Green Pillar of the NextGenerationEU Programme, focusing on how social science research can support efforts to tackle climate change and support green projects across Europe.

Description

Speakers:

• Professor Wouter Poortinga, Cardiff University 
• Dr. Sylke Viola Schnepf, Joint Research Centre, European Commission 
• Dr. Ilda Dreoni, Joint Research Centre, European Commission 
• Dr. Ruxandra Comănaru, European Social Survey, City St George’s, University of London 
• Dr David Consolazio, European Values Study, University of Milan 
• Dr Yuliya Kazakova, Generations and Gender Programme, Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute 

Through a mix of expert presentations and hands-on group work, participants will explore key theoretical frameworks, relevant European data sources, and practical approaches to applied social research. 

Academic experts will present core concepts and models underpinning the Green Pillar, alongside an overview of major European surveys such as the European Social Survey (ESS), European Values Study (EVS), Generations and Gender Programme (GGP), and the CRONOS-3 dataset.

Joint Research Centre (JRC) experts will highlight how social research contributes to evidence-based green policies. 

Participants will work in small groups to develop policy-relevant research questions, select suitable data sources, and plan feasible analytical strategies.

Guided group work enables participants to conduct preliminary analyses and prepare short presentations or visual outputs.

The workshop concludes with group presentations and discussion, fostering reflection on research design, findings, and next steps.  

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• Apply theoretical frameworks and European social data to research questions related to tackling climate change and supporting green projects. 
• Develop feasible and policy-relevant research questions, including the selection of appropriate data sources and analytical approaches. 
• Communicate preliminary research findings effectively to academic and policy-oriented audiences through clear visual and oral presentations. 

​​​Register via Zoom

About the speakers

Professor Wouter Poortinga is Professor of environmental psychology at the Welsh School of Architecture and the School of Psychology at Cardiff University. Professor Poortinga is the Make it Green academic expert, who has developed questions for the project’s CRONOS-3 panel, now available via the ESS Data Portal. Professor Poortinga has also written two reports as part of the project: European Attitudes to Climate Change and the Environment (Data Summary) and European Attitudes to Climate Change, Fairness, and Action (Topline Results). He led the Questionnaire Design Team (QDT) who included climate change and energy questions in the European Social Survey for the first time.

Dr. Ruxandra Comănaru is a research fellow at the European Social Survey HQ based at City St George’s, University of London. She is primarily working on the Make it Green pillar within the Infra4NextGen project, as well as coordinating the collaboration between the other strands of the project. Ruxandra’s research interests include the design and adaptation of surveys for mixed modes of data collection, with a focus on enhancing the methodological accuracy of self-completion methods. She is also interested in questionnaire design, translation and cultural equivalence of research concepts.

Dr. David Consolazio is Assistant Professor at the Department of Social and Political Sciences of the University of Milan. Within the Infra4NextGen project, he works mainly on the Make it Digital and Make it Healthy pillars. David’s research interests lie at the intersection of sociology, epidemiology, and urban studies, focusing on the interplay of individual and contextual-level factors in shaping health and social outcomes, with particular attention on the social determinants of health and residential segregation phenomena. 

Dr. Yuliya Kazakova is a research fellow for GGP based at the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI KNAW). Her work centres on the Make it Equal and Make it Strong pillars in the Infra4NextGen project. This involves close collaboration with leading European academics, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre experts, and the Youth Board to engage young Europeans in data-driven discussion on key issues for future generations. Yuliya’s research interests lie in the field of health economics together with the evaluation of public policies with a particular focus on childhood health, childhood poverty and maternal employment.

This event is organised by ADP – Slovenian Social Science Data Archives.