Responsibility
The polling also explored who the public blamed for harming the environment. Britons (across all ages) see the automotive industry as the number one industrial contributor to damaging the environment (39% mention it), followed by the power industry (24%) and aviation (21%).
Q. Which industries in the UK, if any, do you think are making the most significant change to the environment nowadays? (Spontaneous top mentions)
Base: All UK adults (1,946), Brunswick Research
Britons also hold other countries responsible for having a negative impact on the environment. Just over half of all adults ‘blame countries such as China, India and the USA’ for changes we are seeing in the environment. Agreement with this point of view rises steadily with age.
| % agreeing with the statement 'I blame countries such as China, India and the USA for the changes we are seeing in the environment' | ||
| 16-24 | 37 | |
| 25-34 | 44 | |
| 35-44 | 53 | |
| 45-54 | 54 | |
| 55+ | 60 |
Base: UK adults by age, Brunswick Research
In the workshops, there were many comments about how it was futile for British consumers to change their behaviour when countries such as the US and China were perceived to be using more and more energy.
