The second part of the 2021-2022 EIB Climate Survey explores people’s views on climate change in a rapidly changing world. The results from this release focus on citizens’ individual behaviour and the actions they are taking to combat climate change.
- 82% of Poles feel they are doing all they can to fight climate change in their daily lives, but the majority believe that their compatriots are not doing the same
- Only 27% of Polish car buyers would opt for a petrol or diesel car the next time they purchase a vehicle, while 73% say they would either choose a hybrid or electric car
- 68% of young Polish people say they consider climate change when choosing a holiday destination. Yet a large share of them still plan to fly next summer
- 72% of Polish people say they take the issue of climate change into account when voting
- 48% of young Polish people consider climate change when looking for a job
- 63% of young Polish people already buy second-hand clothes instead of new ones
These are some of the results from the second release of the 2021-2022 Climate Survey published today by the European Investment Bank (EIB). The EIB is the lending arm of the European Union and the world’s largest multilateral lender for climate action projects.
Hybrid and electric cars more sought after than petrol/diesel vehicles
When asked about future car purchases, 73% of Polish car buyers say they will buy either a hybrid or electric car. This figure is 46 points higher than the percentage of Poles who said they would buy another diesel or petrol vehicle (27%). More specifically, 46% would choose a hybrid vehicle and 27% would opt for an electric vehicle.
Polish car buyers between 30 and 64 years old are particularly interested in buying a hybrid vehicle (49% say they would choose a hybrid), while younger respondents (15-29 year-olds) consider an electric vehicle to be the least favourable option (28%). Young Poles are more likely to purchase a petrol or diesel vehicle (38%) or a hybrid vehicle (34%) instead.
Comparing the figures for Poland with the average figures for a group of Eastern European countries[1], 46% of Polish car buyers would select a hybrid car, while 42% in these Eastern European countries say they would do the same. For electric and petrol or diesel cars, the figures are slightly lower in Poland than for Eastern Europeans on average (27% of Poles say they would purchase an electric car vs. 30% of Eastern Europeans, 27% of Poles would choose a petrol/diesel car vs. 29% of respondents in Eastern European countries).
Only a minority of the overall Polish population (17%) say they do not have a vehicle now and are not planning to buy one.
In general, European car buyers tend to favour hybrid vehicles (39%), while petrol or diesel vehicles are ranked second (33%) and electric cars come third (28% state they would purchase an electric car). While Chinese car buyers are the most inclined to buy an electric car (44%), Americans would opt first for a hybrid vehicle (38%), followed by a petrol or diesel vehicle (33%), then an electric car (29%).
Climate protection versus flying for holidays
68% of people aged between 15-29 say they consider climate change when choosing their holiday destination. However, 41% of them (compared to 30% for people aged 30-64 and 20% for people aged 65 and older) say they will fly for their summer holidays in 2022. One-quarter of young people (25%, compared to 15% for people aged 30-64 and 11% for people aged 65 and above) say they will fly to a faraway destination.
Shopping for clothes, choosing a job, deciding on a bank: how climate considerations affect people’s decisions
54% of Poles say they buy second-hand clothes instead of new ones (12 points above the EU average). Women are more likely to do so than men (64% for women vs. 43% for men). This practice is particularly popular amongst 15-29 year-olds (63%), while the figure drops 21 points for people aged 65 and older (42%).
42% of Polish people consider climate change when searching for a job. This is particularly the case for 15-29 year-olds. 48% of young people take climate change into consideration when job hunting, compared to 44% for people aged 30-64 (4 points lower).
EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwińska said: “Despite some clear generational gaps, Polish people are increasingly changing their consumption habits and behaviour in a more responsible and sustainable manner to tackle climate change. These changes in individual behaviour show that people across all ages are willing to make stronger commitments in their daily lives to help mitigate the climate crisis. These intentions were voiced during COP26 and are a clear indicator of support to further our efforts to foster the green transition. As the EU climate bank, the role of the EIB is to finance projects that focus on clean energy, energy savings, sustainable mobility solutions and innovations that will help limit the rise in temperature to 1.5°C or less.”
Download the Excel spreadsheet with the raw data for all 30 countries surveyed here. Please click here to access an EIB webpage presenting key findings of the EIB Climate Survey IV.
Background information
About the EIB Climate Survey
The European Investment Bank has launched the fourth edition of the EIB Climate Survey, a thorough assessment of how people feel about climate change. Conducted in partnership with market research firm BVA, the fourth edition of the EIB Climate Survey aims to inform the broader debate on attitudes and expectations in terms of climate action. More than 30 000 respondents participated in the survey between 26 August and 22 September 2021, with a representative panel for each of the 30 countries polled.
About the European Investment Bank
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union and is owned by the EU Member States. It makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy goals both in Europe and beyond. The European Investment Bank is active in around 160 countries and is the world’s largest multilateral lender for climate action projects. The EIB Group has recently adopted its Climate Bank Roadmap to deliver on its ambitious agenda to support €1 trillion of climate action and environmental sustainability investments in the decade to 2030 and to deliver more than 50% of EIB finance for climate action and environmental sustainability by 2025. As part of the roadmap, all new EIB Group operations have been aligned with the goals and principles of the Paris Agreement since the start of 2021.
About BVA
BVA is an opinion research and consulting firm recognised as one of the most innovative market research firms in its sector. Specialised in behavioural marketing, BVA combines data science and social science to make data inspiring and bring it to life. BVA is also a member of the Worldwide Independent Network of Market Research (WIN), a global network of some of the world’s leading market research and survey players, with over 40 members.
[1] Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia