An international study on future lifestyles and mobility aspirations shows that 78% of respondents in six countries with "Western" lifestyles aspire to slow down their pace of life and 51% to work less.
Globally, all of them want a break in their lifestyles and more proximity, according to the study published on Monday and carried out online by the Observatory on Society and Consumption (ObSoCo) for the SNCF's Institute for Research and Exchanges on Mobility, at the end of 2015, involving 12,074 people in six countries (2,000 per country): France, Spain, Germany, United States, Japan and Turkey.
74% of them feel that the pace of life in today's society is too fast (80% in France, Germany, Spain, USA), 78% personally wish to slow down (82% in France), and 50% say they lack time to do what they want or need to do (60% in France).
90% wish they could spend more time with their loved ones, 89% with themselves.
At the same time, 44% (42% in France) of the participants associate ideal mobility with greater proximity, breaking with the current model.
56% (58% in France), on the other hand, believe that better mobility is characterised by access to more efficient and comfortable travel systems; 44% would like to reduce their journeys through proximity. 31% consider it "very important" to reduce their travel time first and foremost (33% in France). They are 47% when the travel time (home/work) is currently more than 35 minutes.
On the work side, 51% aspire to reduce their working time (only 29% in France, 40% in the United States, 50% in Germany, 60% in Spain, Japan, Turkey) and 58% wish to be able to organise it freely.
However, respondents prefer less free time but more money (40%) than the reverse (20%). This phenomenon is more pronounced among older generations, since only 12% of working people aged 65-70 would be willing to sacrifice their income for free time, compared to 30% among working people aged 18-24.
As for the ideal workplace, 48% would like to work "close to home": either at home (30%) or in their neighbourhood (18%). In France, 43% share this wish (26% at home and 17% in their neighbourhood). 32% (40% of French people) would ideally carry out their professional activity outside their neighbourhood, but less than 30 minutes from their home. 13% would like to be able to work from where they want and when they want (9% in French).
Nevertheless, some are willing to make concessions: 23% are willing to travel three hours a day to keep their place of residence and this figure rises to 35% if it is possible to telework two days a week; 49% would be willing to move; 28% would prefer another non-ideal job close to home.
In a context where society would organize itself to face the environmental crisis, 75% of respondents would be ready to reduce their travel and favour proximity; 60% to abandon the personal car or plane; 76% to consume less; 85% to use objects for longer.
On the decline side, 39% believe that a "radical change in the organisation of the economy and society, leading to less production and consumption" would be the best way to meet the environmental challenge.
The descending scenario is described as the most credible solution by 41% of the under-45 age group (compared to only 32% of the over-65 age group, for example).
