This is the fourth year of polling of Londoners which London Councils has undertaken to build on our understanding of the level of public awareness around, and attitudes to, the issues arising from climate change in London. As the fourth wave of an ongoing annual series, it also crucially allows us to continue identifying trends in the opinion of Londoners around climate change.
We hope that data from the polling will provide useful insights to Councillors and borough officers.
Methodology
We first carried out this annual polling of Londoners on the topic of climate change in 2020, and this is the fourth year of data we have collected.
The study was conducted by Kantar in London via OnLineBus, an Internet omnibus survey. A sample of 1001 London adults aged 16+ were interviewed and the sample has been weighted to represent the adult population of London 16+. The polling was completed 1st September to 6th September this year.
Key Findings
This briefing outlines some of the key findings from the polling. For a full summary of the findings, please see the slide deck of results.
- Awareness of climate change - We have found that Londoners right across the region are highly aware of climate change, with 96% of Londoners saying they are aware of climate change.
- Concern about climate change - Londoners have consistently told us – across all years of our polling – that they are concerned about climate change, with 84% of Londoners saying they are concerned about climate change this year. People are also becoming more worried about climate change over time: 68% of Londoners say their level of concern has increased over the past 12 months.
- Motivation to tackle climate change - We find that Londoners are highly motivated to tackle climate change, with 90% of Londoners saying they are motivated. We find high motivation across all age groups, in both inner and outer London, and across social grades.
- The cost-of-living crisis - We also found that the cost-of-living crisis is affecting most Londoners’ ability to help tackle climate change: 73% of Londoners think the cost-of-living crisis has made it more difficult for them to take action.
- Impact of climate change - 60% of Londoners say their day-to-day life in London has been impacted by the changing climate, higher than in 2020 and 2021.
Making sustainable choices
In order to prevent climate change, scientists have said that the general public would need to change their behaviour alongside government and private sector action. So we asked people to indicate which options they are doing currently and which they would consider doing in the future to help prevent climate change across the themes of what we eat, transport, energy and heating, and consumer choices.
We also asked people who weren’t already doing each action about the barriers to them doing it. This allows us to build an understanding of what barriers exist to people taking action.
We found that many Londoners are already making sustainable choices, such as commuting by public transport and recycling old clothes and electronics. 65% of Londoners say that climate change affects their day-to-day decision making.
- Transport - These data show that many Londoners are already using or are willing to consider more sustainable modes of transport. When people are not travelling to work, preference is a clear main barrier to the use of public transport and walking and cycling. When it comes to purchasing a greener vehicle, either a hybrid or an electric car, cost is the clear main barrier. Many people also report not being interested in this – possibly people in inner London who have no need for a private car.
- Energy & heat - 33% of Londoners say they have taken action to insulate their home, and 25% have switched to a renewable tariff. For replacing heating systems with lower carbon options, insulating homes and installing solar panels, cost is cited as the main barrier. For home insulation, this is a strong second.
- Changing diets - 35% of Londoners are already going meat-free once a week, and 17% say they are vegetarian. The main barrier to changing meat consumption is preference. The cost of going vegan and choosing plant-based alternatives are also key reasons, suggesting the higher cost of some plant-based foods is an issue.
- Consumer choices - 45% of Londoners are recycling old clothes and electrical goods. When it comes to buying second-hand clothes, hiring clothes and buying refurbished electronics people cite preference as the reason they wouldn’t do this or consider it. Understanding is also a key issue in purchasing clothing with a low carbon impact, recycling old clothes and electrical goods, and purchasing energy efficient electrical goods.
View this slide deck for full breakdowns of how many Londoners are currently taking sustainable choices across food, transport, energy/heating and consumer choices and barriers to action.
If you have any questions, please contact the London Councils Climate Unit at ClimateUnit@LondonCouncils.gov.uk