Eupinions carried out the survey in September for the Europe's Stories project at St Antony's College, covering all 27 EU member states and the UK. It revealed that Europeans of all age groups would like to see short flights banned, if the destination can be reached in 12 hours by train. More than half would support the pedestrianisation of city centres.
More than 50% would also use their car less often. Told about the impact of livestock production on greenhouse gas emissions, some 68% of those asked also said they would cut back on meat to help combat climate change. But only 1 in 5 people would be prepared to pay more tax.
A survey conducted for the same team in March, before months of lockdowns, found Europeans wanted faster action on climate change – but they were quite reluctant to allow the state to restrict anything they might enjoy. Six months on and governments across the continent have implemented stringent measures on personal freedoms. Europeans now appear open towards making some changes to their lifestyles to tackle climate change, but are relatively reluctant to let the state restrict their decisions in most areas. However, just 16% said they would be unwilling to make any of the changes suggested.
Read more at: University of Oxford
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