9 out of 10 Britons surveyed are ready to make changes to tackle climate change with the right help according to an independent research to mark second Green Britain Day
17 June 2010
- Welsh are Britain’s most eco-conscious – over half (60%) of respondents are quite or very concerned about climate change
- Despite this concern, one in three Welsh homes (30%) surveyed has no loft insulation, and one in six (16%) has no insulation at all
- Brummies are Britain’s least eco conscious – just one in ten (12%) stated that they are very concerned about the environment
- Londoners are Britain’s most eco active – 85% of respondents have already made changes to their lifestyle
- Geordies are keeping up appearances – 86% of those surveyed own and use hair straighteners and dryers
- Londoners are relaxed about their appearance – 34% of those who took part in the research don’t own a hair straightener or dryer
- Bristolians are Britain’s most prolific gamers – 75% of those surveyed own at least one games console, and 18% own three or more
- East Anglians are Britain’s top telly addicts – 20% stated that they own three or more TVs at home, and over half the owners (56%) say they’re left on standby all night
- Londoners use the most energy to keep cool in Britain – 15% of those surveyed use air conditioners at home, compared to just 1% of Scots
The Welsh are Britain’s most eco conscious people, according to a new study by Imperial College London commissioned by EDF Energy to celebrate Green Britain Day. 30% of respondents in Wales state that they are very concerned about climate change, compared to the West Midlands where that figure falls to just 12%. However it’s in London where people are most actively working towards a greener lifestyle – 85% of Londoners surveyed have already made changes to their lifestyle, compared to the East Midlands where 11% of people haven’t made any changes to their habits and don’t believe they need to.
According to the survey, while Londoners are working towards a greener lifestyle, they have yet to get around to making their home more energy efficient, with 36% of Londoners admitting to having no insulation at home, whereas just 3% of people surveyed in the East Midlands have no home insulation.
On a European scale the report places Britain sixth in a table of 10 comparable European countries, showing that while we are all making strides towards a more sustainable future, there is still some way to go in the race against climate change. The study analysed attitudes and habits to create a LEAF (Low Energy Alternative Future) Factor for ten top European countries, showing that Britain is losing out to France, Italy and Spain in the race to become a truly sustainable nation.
The independent research asked 5,700 people around Europe for their views on sustainability and low energy living. The data was analysed by Imperial College London’s Energy Futures Lab, led by its Director, Professor Nigel Brandon. The academics compared the results of the research with information on each country’s energy consumption, energy generation, international travel and food intake from a range of recognised sources such as the World Bank and the International Environment Agency (IEA). The research was grouped into three areas EDF Energy has identified where people can change their daily habits and make a difference to their energy consumption: Home, Travel and Food, as well as more general information about people’s level of concern about climate change. While other factors could influence this, the findings nevertheless show huge differences in people’s understanding of the climate challenges facing Europe, and not only between different countries but also around the Britain, where attitudes varied greatly.
Commenting on the findings, Eva Eisenschimmel, Chief Operating Officer at EDF Energy said:
‘As we all celebrate the second Green Britain Day, EDF Energy wanted to take a look at how we’re doing as a country compared to our European neighbours as the challenge of climate change affects all of us. The results of the poll show we can all learn lessons about the best ways to become truly sustainable.
‘A huge majority of Britons is willing to make changes to save energy in our daily lives if the right support can be put in place. That’s why we’re once again encouraging people to make simple changes in the daily lives to save money and energy by joining the growing Team Green Britain movement. As the UK’s largest producer of low carbon electricity and London 2012’s first sustainability partner, EDF Energy has created Team Green Britain to inspire and enable people across the country to take action against climate change.’
Professor Nigel Brandon, Director of the Energy Futures Lab at Imperial College London was surprised by some of the findings of the research. ‘This study, commissioned by EDF Energy, was fascinating to be a part of because it shows the huge differences both in attitude and in habits of people across Europe when it comes to climate change. It all helps to build a more complete picture of how habits follow attitudes when it comes to the environment, and we are looking forward to seeing Britain moving steadily up the league table.’
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For more information, or to request a copy of the report please contact:
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Weber Shandwick contact Kat McGettigan Ph: +44 (0) 207 067 0253 |
Mike Stuart Ph: +44 020 7089 0315 e-mail: michael.stuart@edfenergy.com |
Notes to editors
About the LEAF Factor
Answers to a set of 16 questions were ranked according to which is “best” for reducing its impact on the environment. For example, if a respondent indicates they are “not at all concerned” about climate change, this would attract the lowest mark for that category. Alternatively, if a respondent says that they have made “major changes to their lifestyle” as a result of concern about climate change, this would attract a very high mark. All possible responses are for each question are on a linear scale between the most negative (zero) and most positive (one) response. The only factor of importance that is not drawn from the survey data relates to food consumption; where countries that consume more, and have a higher portion of meat in their diets, score the lowest marks (and vice-versa).
The country-wide average response to each question is then weighted according to the importance of that particular question in terms of climate change. For example, how frequently a respondent takes “global” flights is deemed to be quite important, as is whether or not the respondent believes “climate change is happening and radical action should be taken now”. At the other end of the spectrum, how frequently a respondent uses, for example, hair straighteners has a low weighting because it has less impact on carbon emissions and therefore climate change.
Finally, the LEAF score is calculated by finding the product of each question-weighting combination, and then summing these for each country. The resulting number is divided by the “perfect” score, and then multiplied by 100, to arrive at the LEAF factor (a number between 0 and 100). As such, the LEAF factor is designed so that a perfect country would score 100, and an environmentally unfriendly country would score zero.
About Green Britain Day
Green Britain Day was founded by EDF Energy, the UK’s largest producer of low carbon electricity, together with partners London 2012 and two leading environmental organisations, the Eden Project and Global Action Plan. It signals the launch of a fun-filled summer of inspirational events, bringing communities together to think and act greener. Throughout the summer, the Team Green Britain celebrity ambassadors and a number of Olympic and Paralympic athletes will be lending their support and getting involved with events across the UK.
About Imperial College London
Consistently rated amongst the world's best universities, Imperial College London is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that attracts 14,000 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality. Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and business, delivering practical solutions that improve quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture.
Since its foundation in 1907, Imperial's contributions to society have included the discovery of penicillin, the development of holography and the foundations of fibre optics. This commitment to the application of research for the benefit of all continues today, with current focuses including interdisciplinary collaborations to improve global health, tackle climate change, develop sustainable sources of energy and address security challenges.
In 2007, Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust formed the UK’s first Academic Health Science Centre. This unique partnership aims to improve the quality of life of patients and populations by taking new discoveries and translating them into new therapies as quickly as possible.
Website: www.imperial.ac.uk
About EDF Energy
EDF Energy is one of the UK’s largest energy companies, producing around one-fifth of the nation's electricity from its nuclear, coal and gas power stations, as well as combined heat and power plants and wind farms. The company provides power to a quarter of the UK’s population via its electricity distribution networks and supplies gas and electricity to more than 5.5 million business and residential customers. It is the largest supplier of electricity based on volume supplied to major business in Britain.
EDF Energy’s safe and secure operation of its eight existing nuclear power stations at sites across the country makes it the UK’s largest generator of low carbon electricity. EDF Energy is also leading the UK's nuclear renaissance and has published plans to build four new nuclear reactors, subject to the right investment framework. These new plants could generate enough low carbon electricity for about 40% of Britain’s homes. They would make an important contribution to the UK’s future needs for clean, secure and affordable energy. The project is already creating business and job opportunities for British companies and workers.
Through Our Sustainability Commitments, EDF Energy has launched one of the biggest environmental and social programmes of any UK energy company. EDF is the official energy utilities partner and sustainability partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The company is also helping its customers and others use energy more sustainably through products and initiatives such as Team Green Britain.
EDF Energy is part of EDF Group, one of Europe’s largest power companies. Following the integration with British Energy in 2009, the company employs nearly 20,000 people at locations across the UK.