Yahoo Finance Brits willing to give up on planes, cars and new clothes for climate, Ford survey finds
The overwhelming majority (91%) of Brits feel a personal level of responsibility in the fight against climate change, a new Ford-commissioned study has found.
A third (34%) are willing to use their car less, while 30% are willing to give up travelling abroad on planes. Over two fifths (44%) are willing to limit their buying of new clothes.
Almost half (45%) are planning to give up using non-recyclable plastics and 44% want to reduce their energy consumption.
Some 85% would be willing to adjust their shopping habits as they said it was important to buy products from businesses that have a positive or carbon-neutral contribution to the environment.
In the survey of 2,000 Brits, having a global plan to tackle climate change was the most important issue facing the UK today for 34% — the third most important issue after getting out of the pandemic (42%) and ensuring economic recovery post-COVID (38%).
The survey of 2,000 Brits showed that 34% of people thought having a global plan to tackle climate change was the most important issue facing the UK today, behind getting out of the pandemic (42%) and ensuring economic recovery post-COVID (38%).
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However, more than a quarter (27%) also said putting in stricter measures to curb climate change was needed immediately.
A quarter of Brits thought the 2030 ban on petrol and diesel vehicles should be brought forward to an earlier date but nearly a third thought it should be pushed back or scrapped altogether.
Some 13% said that the next car they buy will be an electric vehicle (EV).
However, one-in-five (21%) said they have no intention of buying an EV and a further 19% will not consider purchasing an EV until they have no other option.
Charging worries was the main off-putting factor when it came to switching to an EV, with nearly half (47%) saying they’d have concerns about where they would charge their vehicle.
Two fifths said having an EV would put them off long journeys.
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“This survey shows how much Britons care about climate change and that they’re ready to take a number of individual actions to help fight it.
"When it comes to personal transportation, it is clear they see EVs as the future, yet what the survey also shows is that people continue to have concerns around charging infrastructure and perceived range anxiety,” said Stuart Rowley, president Ford (F) of Europe.
Ford is calling for government, at national and local levels, energy providers and auto companies "to make an emphatic case about the opportunities of electrification to consumers and to create the infrastructure necessary to support the vision, as it is only with a unified approach that we can deliver on this promise".
