Environment and climate change - Kantar · PDF file2 Environment and climate change 2012 TNS 3 Pollution, resource depletion, climate change and biodiversity are just some of the environmental

Environmentand climate change

© 2012 TNS2 3Environment and climate change

Pollution, resource depletion, climate

change and biodiversity are just some of

the environmental issues that concern us.

Research by TNS Opinion and Social shows

that we, the citizens of the European

Union, feel that more should be done: by

Government, the EU, industry – and by

ourselves.

We want to make a difference. Two thirds

of us recycle, and we have also cut down on

consumption of energy and water. Three out

of four of us would pay a little more to buy

environmentally friendly products.

We feel that polluters should take

responsibility for their actions and we would

like this backed up with stricter legislation

and fines for offenders – 81% believe that

European legislation is necessary to protect

the environment in their own country.

Scientists and environmental agencies

such as Greenpeace top our trust list on

environmental issues. In contrast, only 7%

trust national and local government and

just 2% say they trust companies. Our

cynicism extends to products claiming green

credentials. Half of us do not believe that

labels tell us whether a product is genuinely

environmentally friendly or not.

Despite our concerns and desire for action

we are optimistic about our ability to become

more efficient at using energy in the future.

Introduction

This report into the environment draws on two

studies undertaken by TNS Opinion and Social for

the European Commission:

Attitudes of European Citizens towards

the Environment

Special Eurobarometer 365

Climate Change

Special Eurobarometer 372


Impact on health of chemicals in products 34

Climate change 34

Close to our heart Issues of concern

Environmental issues you are worried about (max 5)*

Man-made disasters and pollution top the

list of concerns. However, the environment

is not a single-topic issue: people are

worried about air pollution, effects on our

health of chemicals in products, genetically

modified foods, loss of biodiversity and more.

Climate change is in fourth place at 34%,

equal to chemicals in products - a drop of

20 percentage points since the 2007 survey.

It may be that recent coverage of the Gulf

of Mexico oil spill and Fukushima has pushed

climate change down the agenda.

Source: Attitudes of European Citizens towards the Environment, Special Eurobarometer 365 undertaken by TNS Opinion and Social for the EC in 27 EU member countries.

46


We care about the environment. In fact, 95%

say that the environment is ‘important to

me personally’, a consensus that runs across

countries, age and occupation. It is not a

distant concept; three-quarters of us say that

environmental problems impact upon our

daily life. Perhaps because of this, we want

to do our bit and there is a strong belief that

individuals can play their part. However, there

is also a strong view that the big polluters

are industry and corporations, and that they

should take responsibility for their actions.

‘protecting the environment is important

to me personally’

‘environmental problems have an

effect on my daily life’

‘as an individual I can play a role in protecting the

environment’

‘big polluters (corporations &

industry) should be mainly responsible for protecting the

environment’

95% 76% 87% 91%Man made disasters, eg oil spills

Water pollution

Air pollution

Growing waste

Depletion of natural resources

Natural disasters: earthquakes, floods etc

Agricultural pollution: fertilisers, pesticides

Loss of biodiversity: species, habitats

Our consumption habits

Genetically modified organisms in farming

*Top 12 listed

42

41

36

33

33

31

25

22

19

19


There is a strong feeling that no-one is doing

enough to use natural resources efficiently,

and the survey shows virtually no support for

the view that too much is being done.

Government and business score least well.

That not enough is being done may be true

but in mitigation most people’s knowledge

of the environment comes from public

media, especially TV, and there is a strong

perception that the media are far more likely

to report bad news than good.

There is a clear sense that environmental

problems do not respect national boundaries

and can be resolved only on a regional or

world scale.

A large majority wants EU involvement: in

funding and legislation and to work jointly

with national governments.

The UK is the only (EU) country where a

majority believes that decisions on protecting

the environment should be made by the

national government rather than jointly

with the EU. Yet even in the UK 67% are in

favour of EU legislation to help protect the

environment.

Not enough is being done We want the EU to take the lead



7972 69

22

63

2520

14 2

Not doing enough

Doing about the right amountDoing too much

Corporations & industry

The Govt. Citizens The EU

EU funding should be allocated more to support environmentally friendly activities

The EU should assist non-EU countries to improve their environmental standards

European environment legislation is necessary for

protecting the environment in (our country)

Decisions on protecting the environment should

be made jointly between National Governments

and the EU

2 2 389%

79%

81%

64%

Attitudes to EU involvement in protection of the environmentAre each of the following doing too much about the right

amount or not enough to use natural resources efficiently?


Citizen power Older people do more

Citizens are willing to help the environment

personally: only 6% claim to do nothing.

Recycling is the most popular activity but

people are also active in reducing water and

energy consumption and are cutting back

on their use of disposable items such as

plastic bags.

One person in four buys locally produced

products for environmental reasons. Even the

car is being used less. There is momentum

behind consumers’ preparedness to do their

bit; activity scores increased for nearly every

measure.

*Eg turned down air conditioning, or heating, not leaving appliances

on standby, bought energy-saving bulbs or appliances



Cut down energy consumption %

Chosen locally produced products / groceries %

By age 15-25 41 1825-39 54 2640-54 56 3155+ 56 32

Top 3

Luxembourg 87France 82UK / Ireland 79

Bottom 3

Latvia 28Romania 23Bulgaria 19

Separated most of my waste for recycling in the last month (%)

Although it is young people who are often

most vocal about the environment, it is older

people who are more likely to take action.

Perhaps older people have more time, or a

greater sense of civic duty.

Generally, Eastern and Southern Europe

recycle less. Country figures, however, reflect

facilities and recycling demands placed on

citizens. Bulgarians, for example, recycle

the least but are amongst the countries

most concerned about the effect of the

environment on their daily life.

Actions taken in last month for environmental reasons

Separated most of my waste for recycling

% point change over four year period

Cut down energy consumption*

Cut down water consumption

Reduced consumption of disposable items, eg plastic bags

Chosen a more environmentally friendly way to travel

Chosen locally produced products / groceries

Used your car less

Bought environmentally friendly products with an environment label

None

66 +7

+6

+6

+7

+2

+7

+3

0

-3

53

43

37

30

28

20

17

6

EU

66


The majority of us (58%) would like local

authorities to favour environmental

considerations over cost issues: twice as many

as would prioritise cost over the environment.

Even more (72%) are ‘prepared to pay a little

more’ for environmentally friendly products.

Affluent countries score more highly on

‘agree to pay more’ but the correlation is

not proportionate. For example, 65% of

Romanians would be prepared to pay a little

more for environmentally friendly products,

not far behind France at 72%, despite the

huge gulf in personal income.

The cost of good citizenship


You are ready to buy environmentally friendly products even if they

cost a little bit more

72 25 3Agree Don’t

knowDisagree

Willingness to pay more for environmentally

friendly products enjoys broad support – it

holds true even for the unemployed. But

there are limits. Compromising on the cost or

size of our car to protect the environment is a

priority for only 15% of us and a tiny 2% list

‘paying more taxes’ in their top 3 priorities.

Willing to pay, but…


Which of these should be in the top 3 priorities for citizens to

protect the environment? %

Sort waste so it can be recycled

Reduce home energy consumption: lighting,

heating, appliances

Use public transport as much as possible

instead of your own car

Reduce waste by buying more selectively and avoiding over-

packaged products

Purchase ecologically

friendly products for daily needs

Replace your car with a more energy efficient one, even

if it’s smaller or more expensive

Consider environmental

aspects when making a large expenditure, eg travelling, buying

a car

Pay a little more in taxes to help

the environment

32 23 16 15 2

59 48 37

Thinking about the budget of public authorities, which statement comes closest

to your view. Public authorities should favour…

Environmentally friendly procurement over simple cost considerations

58 Cost effective solutions over environmentally friendly considerations

25

Don’t know

Neither

11

6


Our preparedness to do our bit as citizens is

balanced by the view that offenders should

be fined more heavily and that there should

be stricter legislation and better enforcement

of existing regulations.

However, it is not all stick. Tax breaks and

incentives for good behaviour are popular

as is providing more information. However,

the idea of taxing environmentally damaging

activities is relatively unwelcome.

Most of us (60%) believe ourselves to be

well informed about environmental issues.

Television news is our main source of

information on the environment although

newspapers also score well. Despite

our confidence overall, many feel they

lack information about specific issues;

often topics with significant scientific

content such as the effect of chemicals in

everyday products. TV and newspapers

are doing a good job reporting on events

in the news but it is a selective edit that

leaves many of us under-informed on

important but less topical issues.


We want an enforcement regime Well informed


Which would be the most effective ways of tackling environmental

problems (max 2 answers) %

From the following list, which are your 3 main sources

of information about the environment? %

3626

2626

2315

25

Heavier fines for offenders

Stricter environmental

legislationTaxation on environmentally damaging activities

Higher incentives (tax breaks,

subsidies etc) for industry/citizens who protect the

environment

Better enforcement of existing regulation

Using natural resources more efficiently

Providing more information on environmental issues

Television news

News-papers

Internet & social media

Films & docu-

mentaries on TV

Radio Conver-sations

with friends /family

Magazines Public-ations /

brochures / info

Books Events

73

41

31 2923

1613

8 6 4


No consensus on trustScientists are most trusted

Looking beneath the EU averages reveals

interesting differences in the experience –

or character – of individual countries. Just

2% of Germans, for example, trust the EU

on environmental issues. Companies are

completely distrusted in Sweden and, whilst

14% of the Irish trust national government,

the figure for Spain is just 2%.

When it comes to the environment we are

deeply distrusting of national and local

Government. Both score 7%. We are cynical

about politicians: even ‘Green’ political

parties lack credibility. Companies fare

worse; trusted by only 3% of EU citizens.

Most endorsed are scientists (40%) and

environmental protection agencies (37%)

such as Greenpeace. Television and consumer

organisations fare well while the UN scores a

low 15% on trust.

Trust split by key sources of information

From the following list who do you trust most as a source

of information when it comes to environmental issues? %



Scientists

Environmental Protection Agencies (Greenpeace...)

Television

Consumer associations

Newspapers

International Organisations (UN etc)

Internet and social media

Teachers at school or University

Friends, family, colleagues etc

European Union

Political parties standing for the environment, Greens...

Regional / Local Government

National Government

Companies

None

40

37

29

21

16

1515

14

12

9

9

7

7

73

62% of Danes

9% of Italians

2% of Germans

27% of Romanians

0% of Swedes

38% of Britons

14% of Irish

2% of Spanish

Scientists

Companies

National Government

The EU


Given our very low trust of companies on

environmental issues, it is unsurprising that

less than half of consumers believe green

labelling allows us to identify products that

are genuinely environmentally friendly.

It is clear that consumers are disposed to be

distrustful of companies’ claims to be friends

of the environment. Are we becoming more

cynical? It would seem so: over a four year

period the sceptics rose from 42% to 48%.

We are confident in our ability to harness

technology to create a more energy efficient

future. We believe that by 2050 we will be

using more renewable energy, consuming

energy more efficiently generally and will

be filling our cars with a more efficient

alternative to petrol and diesel. The human

spirit brims with optimism.


Optimism flourishesCynical about ‘green labels’

Source: Climate Change, Special Eurobarometer 372. Undertaken by TNS Opinion and Social for the EC in 27 EU member countries.

Do product labels allow you to identify those that are

genuinely environmentally friendly? %

Consumer optimism

47 485+6

percentage point shift in % saying no

over four years

Yes No Don’t know

Expect to be using more renewable energy such as wind and solar power in 2050

Think that in 2050 people will consume energy more efficiently than they do now

Think that in 2050 cars will be fuelled in a more energy efficient way (than petrol or diesel)

88%

205073%

+

88%


How TNS can help

For most businesses today, their stance on the environment is a significant part of their reputation. For some, it is a very important factor.

As the world’s leading custom research

company, TNS is trusted by major public

and private sector organisations to carry

out large-scale research projects, such as

the Eurobarometer studies for the European

Commission discussed in this booklet.

With market-leading expertise in brand

research, behaviour change, and stakeholder

management, TNS can bring this range and

capacity to bear by designing a research

programme for your business.

To discuss how TNS can help

contact Jamie Willard,

New Business & Marketing Director

d +44 (0)20 7656 5303

[email protected].

Eurobarometer research - the research was conducted

by TNS Opinion and Social. Findings based on Special

Eurobarometer 365 and Special Eurobarometer 372.

TNS6 More London PlaceLondon SE1 2QYUnited Kingdom

t +44 (0)20 7656 5294www.tnsglobal.comTwitter: @tns_uk

About TNS UK

TNS UK is part of TNS Global, the world’s biggest research company.

TNS delivers precise plans to help our clients grow.

Whatever your challenge TNS UK can help:

nInnovation & Product Development

nBrand & Communications

nRetail & Shopper

nStakeholder Management

nQualitative

nAutomotive

About Eurobarometer

TNS Opinion & Social, conducts around eight Eurobarometer surveys a year, on

behalf of the European Commission. These surveys cover the resident population

of all the European Union member states, aged 15 and over.

Some waves of research also involve surveys conducted in the six candidate

countries (Croatia, Turkey, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland,

Montenegro and Serbia), the Turkish Cypriot Community, and Norway.

A representative sample of 1000 people is interviewed in each country (1500

in Germany; 1300 in the UK; 500 in Luxembourg, the Republic of Cyprus, the

Turkish Cypriot Community, Iceland and Malta).

In this series:

nCyber crime

nFinancial services

nEnvironment and climate change

Documents

Environment and climate change - Kantar · PDF file2 Environment and climate change 2012 TNS 3 Pollution, resource depletion, climate change and biodiversity are just some of the environmental