73% of survey respondents in the UK under 30 say the climate impact of prospective employers is an important factor when job hunting and 19% say it is a top priority.
The statistics are from the latest yearly European Investment Bank (EIB) Climate Survey, conducted in August 2022.
The survey release explores people’s views on climate change, covering the EU27 as well as the United States, China and the UK. The results focus on people’s individual behaviour and the actions they are taking to combat climate change.
The survey found that a growing number of people entering the workforce each year are looking at employers’ climate credentials when job hunting. 61% of respondents in the UK said it is important that prospective employers prioritise sustainability; for 15% of respondents, it’s a top priority.
Climate change and environmental degradation remain among the UK’s top three challenges, according to respondents, behind the increased cost of living and the financial crisis. Moreover, 66% of respondents in the UK said they were convinced that their own behaviour could make a difference in addressing the climate emergency (compared to 75% in Germany, 69% in the Netherlands and 63% in France).
The outcome of the EIB Climate Survey shows that respondents in the UK, just like EU citizens, are willing to help fight climate change.
For many, the government has a role to play in encouraging individual behavioural change. 66% of respondents in the UK said they were in favour of stricter government measures imposing a change in people’s behaviour to tackle climate change – 74% of respondents under 30 would welcome such measures.
54% of respondents in the UK said they would be in favour of a carbon budget system that would allocate each individual a fixed number of yearly credits to be spent on items with a big carbon footprint (non-essential goods, flights, meat, etc.).
Nancy Saich, chief climate change expert at the European Investment Bank, commented: “The outcome of the EIB Climate Survey shows that respondents in the UK, just like EU citizens, are willing to help fight climate change at the individual level and are expecting action from their governments.
“As the EU climate bank, we welcome this commitment. It complements our role of financing green services such as low-carbon transport, renewable energy and energy-efficient buildings around the world, many of which also help create new jobs.”
