24.10.2023
What do Russians think about the problem of global warming?
Throughout the summer, a number of analytical agencies conducted surveys, the results of which, unfortunately, show that Russians are less active on the environmental agenda. The main reasons for this include a lack of confidence in the agenda overall, the absence of any incentives, and the absence of a prominent opinion leader who would engage in environmental activism. Nevertheless, 52% of the adult population notes that over the past year they or their family members have taken part in the fight against environmental problems, and 20% of residents of large Russian cities prefer eco-friendly products, provided that the price is acceptable to them.
The results of one such survey (https://www.gazprombank.ru/sustainability/vestnik/) show how city residents feel about environmental and climate issues and what kind of participation they are willing to take in addressing them. 1,350 people aged 18 to 70 responded, all of them residents of cities with a population of at least 500,000.
The results of the survey were as follows:
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89% of Russians are aware of the problem of climate change
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77% have already faced these problems in their daily life
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87% believe that environmental and climate problems are indeed serious and require attention
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83% are aware of the impact of humans and their activities on climate change
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65% believe that large-scale industries and mining have an adverse impact on the climate
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60% indicated the problem of plastic production and consumption
However, problems related to individual behavior, e.g., internal combustion engine vehicles, unconscious consumption, unsorted waste, are considered to be less serious. Whereas the figures suggest a fairly high awareness among Russians, against the background of Western respondents, where more than half of those surveyed are clueless about human influence on climate issues, particularly global warming.
The survey also served to reveal the personal desire of Russian residents to take part in solving environmental problems. Those surveyed agreed that good habits should be practiced to reduce the adverse impact on the climate, e.g. residents highlighted the following:
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52% – thrifty attitude towards water
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52% – secondary use
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42% – limited use of paper
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41% – separate waste collection
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39% – thrifty attitude towards light
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32% – conscious consumption
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21% – use of eco-friendly goods
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15% – avoiding the use of personal vehicles
Some questions in the survey addressed the willingness of Russians to make a material contribution to solving environmental and climate problems, e.g.: compensating for their negative impact on the environment or buying more expensive eco-friendly goods. According to the survey results, it turned out that a third of the respondents were ready to allocate a part of their monthly income for the compensation of harm.
It is worth noting that the majority of Russians are willing to pay more for eco-friendly goods or to compensate for climate harm, reported that their average monthly income is higher than the average income in Russia. It is about RUB 63,000. It has therefore become apparent that attitudes towards environmental and climate issues are almost independent of a person's geography or sphere of activity, but are directly related to their income. There are also gender differences in perceptions of the climate issue. For example, women consider climate change more important than men, and older men are even less likely to express concern about climate issues than women and youth.
Unsplash/ Renzo D'souza / Matt Palmer
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