Reports on the findings of a Department for Environment (Defra) study on attitudes to the environment, released last week, differed wildly.
The Guardian reported: “Millions say it is too much effort to adopt a greener lifestyle”, while the Independent concluded: “Almost half the population wants a green tax on air travel”.
In fact, the survey of more than 3,600 adults included both findings, but the results were less contradictory than appears.
It is true that close to one in four see the environment as a low priority or believe their behaviour and lifestyle make no difference to climate change, and 18% said being environmentally friendly takes too much effort. However, half of those surveyed disagreed.
More than 75% thought cutting air travel would slow climate change, with only 8% believing it would make no difference, and almost 30% said they were already making efforts to fly less – although 32% admitted they had no intention of reducing their number of flights.
However, only 13% believed a significant proportion of other people were willing to fly less – lower than the proportion (17%) who thought other people would be willing to reduce their car use.
The survey found significant support for the idea that passengers should pay the environmental cost of air travel – 44% agreed “people who fly should bear the cost of the environmental damage”, outnumbering the 31% who disagreed.
The good news for the industry is that less than one in five feel guilty about taking short-haul flights. So perhaps the industry should moderate its opposition to an environmental tax on flying or to compulsory carbon-offset schemes and emphasise a ‘fly without guilt’ message.
More than half those surveyed opposed the idea that “people should be allowed to use their cars as much as they like”, with only 8% in agreement, suggesting broad support for restrictions on environmentally damaging behaviour.
Stella Bell, travel business development manager of offset-provider Climate Care, concludes making it easy for customers to take action is fundamental to changing behaviour. “If carbon offsetting is put in front of people, they do it. If it’s not, they don’t,” she said.
“Uptake increases considerably if offsetting is part of the booking process. It would be great if every travel company included it.”
First Choice Holidays corporate social responsibility manager Susanna Wilson considers the 30% willing to fly less relatively low, given how much the media has linked air travel to climate change.
Wilson said: “You won’t get positive change through making people feel guilty.”
Bell agrees: “There is no point just frightening people. Offsetting says you can make a difference, just as providing recycling facilities makes people think ‘I can recycle’. People will do it if given the opportunity.
A final section of the study, on consumer attitudes to eco-friendly purchasing found 52% would decline the products of a company whose ethics they dislike – although it gave no examples. Interestingly for the trade, 45% would be prepared to pay more for environmentally friendly products, with only slightly more than one in four saying they would not.
Wilson is heartened by that, but warns: “There is often a difference between what people say they will do and what they actually do.”
When asked what stood in the way of shoppers making more environmentally friendly choices, 47% complained such goods were too expensive – so, as ever, price is key.
Four out of five had heard of fair-trade products and 45% said they made an effort to buy these – providing encouragement to efforts to develop a fair-trade tourism scheme.
The Survey of Public Attitudes and Behaviours toward the Environment 2007 comprises the preliminary findings of a survey by the British Market Research Bureau on behalf of Defra, which interviewed more than 3,600 adults this spring. A full report is due by October.