Lost in transition? Unravelling worker identities in the transformation towards a decarbonised future

It is vital to gain support from the public for the necessary changes in the transition toward a decarbonised future.

Scarce qualitative research identified that workers in coal regions and labour unions perceive a threat to their regional, occupational or worker community identity due to the imminent transformation. A perceived threat to an individual’s identity can lead to antagonism and resistance.

This highlights the need to understand better the role of identities at various levels in the transition process to increase public support.Using representative surveys, this research project investigates the role of multiple identities – organizational, occupational, regional – in worker support for or resistance to the transformation toward a decarbonised future in Sweden, Germany and the United Kingdom.

The combination of the three countries – all with a substantial share in industrial employment, but with distinctly different employment systems – and detailed data on the sub-sector and sub-region level, offers a unique way to shed light on the national, regional and sectoral level institutional factors that may influence how different identities are affected by the transformation and bring about support for or resistance to it.

Findings from large-scale, representative data will act as a signpost to regional and national policymakers, but also trade unions and labour organisations on how to get workers on board in this historical transformation.