Sustainable Municipal Energy Transition—Evaluating Support and Citizens’ Awareness Levels in the Post-Mining Region in Poland

Operationally, energy transition takes place at the local level, that is, in cities and rural municipalities. Its effectiveness is, therefore, dependent on individual actions undertaken in enterprises and households. It also constitutes a particularly challenging task for industrial regions with centuries-old mining traditions. Meanwhile, the opinions of residents living in mining cities receive little attention in the literature. For these reasons, this study used survey research conducted in 19 Silesian cities with county rights and on a representative sample of 1863 residents. In this way, answers were sought to the following research questions: (1) How do urban residents in a developing economy in a post-mining region assess their knowledge regarding environmental protection and energy transition? (2) How do they evaluate local authorities’ actions concerning the replacement of non-ecological heating sources in households? The analysis of results employed descriptive statistics and non-parametric statistical tests, identifying differences in respondents’ assessments according to gender, age, education, and place of residence. The analyses conducted indicate that residents assess their environmental awareness as average. They also rate their knowledge of the energy transition below average, despite being in the midst of it. The assessments of men, older individuals, and those with vocational and secondary education are higher in both cases than the assessments of women, younger generations, and respondents with primary, post-secondary, and higher education. Respondents also rate financial and informational–educational support for heating source replacement as average. Importantly, however, these actions are noticed and appreciated. They meet the expectations of less formally educated individuals (formal education level: primary, vocational, and secondary). However, they do not generate enthusiasm among those with post-secondary and higher education, whose environmental needs and expectations may be higher. The level of financial support, and to a lesser extent informational–educational support, differs significantly among the studied cities, indicating the absence of a coherent regional policy. This may also result in deepening environmental disparities and inequalities in quality of life among the studied urban centers. The two-dimensional assessment reveals that the majority of the examined cities fall into the stagnator category, exhibiting average levels of both environmental awareness and institutional support for energy transition. The most favorable prospects for effective energy transition are observed in Gliwice and Żory, while Zabrze, Świętochłowice, and Jastrzębie-Zdrój—post-mining cities burdened by limited development potential and financial constraints—demonstrate the least promising outlook. The conclusions and recommendations derived from this article directly align with the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 7—Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7)—which addresses energy transition, including the adoption of clean heat sources. They also support the development of sustainable cities, thereby contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 11—Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11).