Will people travel sustainably to protect the planet?

Dr Nick Baker Chief Research Officer 10/02/2022

With over 6,000 respondents the Eco Index explores opinions in the UK, US and Canada on climate change and other environmental issues.

It’s been widely reported that private transport is one of the sectors needing the greatest overhaul to reduce carbon emissions and fight climate change. For some, travel habits will need to change – for example, France recently banned short-haul domestic flights when a 2h30m train alternative exists.

So, a mass shift from cars to public transport looks unlikely – but people may be prepared to shift from petrol and diesel to emission-free electric cars.

For others, it will mean changing their car – the US has set a target for 50% of vehicle sales to be electric by 2030. By the same year in the UK, no new petrol or diesel cars will be sold and Canada has a similar goal for 2035.

There may be government policies in place, but will people travel sustainably to protect the planet?

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To find out, we asked respondents about their willingness to change travel habits and be more environmentally friendly. Out of a list of 12 transport options, they had four choices – ‘already doing this’, ‘would consider’, ‘might consider’ and ‘would never consider’.

Beginning with the latter, in each country, out of all the options, respondents are most likely to say they would never consider going car free (US – 38%, Canada – 35%, UK – 29%).

Here’s the full list of travel habits respondents would never consider changing:

So, a mass shift from cars to public transport looks unlikely – but people may be prepared to shift from petrol and diesel to emission-free electric cars.

In each country, the transport option respondents are most likely to say they would consider is the switch to purchasing an electric vehicle (Canada – 41%, UK – 35%, US – 34%). An earlier survey we ran confirmed that Americans are almost ready to buy electric.

However, there’s still a long way to go until electric cars take over the roads from petrol and diesel ones. In each country, out of all 12 transport options, respondents are least likely to say they’ve already bought an electric vehicle (UK and US – 9%, Canada – 8%). In the Eco Index 2021 we reveal how the current cost of electric cars is limiting their uptake.

Here are the travel habits respondents have already changed to be more sustainable:

We previously explored how Baby Boomers’ attitudes towards sustainability have been misinterpreted – but when it comes to arguments about giving up cars or going electric, for now, there’s a strong generational difference of opinion.

Baby Boomers in each country are significantly more likely than Gen Z to say they would never consider going car free, although this may not matter so long as they switch to emission-free cars instead.

However, Baby Boomers are also significantly less likely than Gen Z to say they would consider buying electric cars, or that they have already done so.

If the UK, US and Canada are to meet their ambitious vehicle sales targets in the coming years, that will need to change.

Click here to download our Eco Index 2021 report – learn more about consumer attitudes to sustainable travel and the impact on their purchase decisions.