The Natura 2000 network is a system of managed natural areas exclusively designed to protect Europe's most valuable and threatened species and habitats and covers 18.6% of its land area, and 8.9% of its marine territory. Repeated Eurobarometer public opinion surveys show that European citizens are unaware of this broad network. Awareness is a prerequisite to successful participatory planning. The present work addresses two issues. First, it reflects on the presumed “low” level of Natura 2000 recognition among Europeans using the citizens' knowledge of similar concepts as a yardstick. Second, it explores whether aware and non-aware citizens are systematically and characteristically different from each other regarding their human capital, social and economic attributes. Data are sourced from publicly available Eurobarometer surveys summing up to a large dataset of 52,000 respondents across all EU countries and regions. The statistical analysis utilises a random intercept, multilevel ordered logistic, regression model that considers the ordinal nature of the Natura 2000 awareness dependent variable and the fact that European respondents cluster in regions and countries. The results highlight that a higher awareness level is related to more privileged citizens and reveal a substantial gender issue, a cognitive rural-urban separation and, possibly, a generational predisposition. Findings also disclose the complex and obscure geography of awareness. The revealed “biased awareness” is a threat to successful public participation. Environmental policy must be proactive about testing new ways to support higher awareness levels and rise to the challenge of providing an improved and inclusive awareness-raising strategy. •Natura 2000 awareness is low compared to issues like “biodiversity”.•The aware and non-aware groups of citizens are distinctively different.•Awareness rates reveal gender, rural-urban and generational differences.•The geography of awareness across European countries and regions is complex.•Conservation policy must draw a proactive and inclusive awareness-raising strategy.