The ecological emergency has become a societal fact. A large majority of French people (72 %) say they have become aware of ecological issues in recent months. It is high time. It is a step from there to everyone implementing new behaviors, more respectful of the environment. But a step that has shrunk dramatically in a short time. Will it be enough? The French themselves are not convinced, since nearly 7 out of 10 are pessimistic about the future of the planet.
They are 72% who claim to have, over the last few months, "become more interested in ecological issues and have changed their behaviour in this direction". A result to the credit of the information that scientists are relentlessly disseminating on climate change, which is widely reported in the media. However, this awareness also stems from the tangible climate changes that each of us can perceive: heat waves, drought, an increase in violent natural hazards, etc., and the fact that we are all aware of these changes.
Women are more sensitive than men to environmental issues; 78 % perceive, personally, the seriousness of the issue. But it is young people aged 18 to 24 who admit that 89 % of them are mobilized on global warming issues.
These statements are not just verbal, since 52 % of the French claim not only to have become aware of ecological issues but also to have changed their behaviour in this direction.
First of all, it is the small everyday gestures that have changed. They testify to an awareness that seems to be well established in people's minds. Thus, more than 90 % of the people questioned declared, on each of these small gestures, to lighten their burden on the environment:
- Turn off the light when you leave an empty room
- Turn off the water faucet when brushing your teeth.
- Sort your waste
- Buy seasonal products instead
- Recycle your digital equipment
- Avoid disposable plastic objects (dishes, bags, etc.).
- Have your equipment/appliances repaired rather than thrown away
- Buy French products instead
- Unplug your electrical appliances when you are not using them (box, television, etc.).
Consumption patterns are changing. For example, 82 %s of respondents said they consume less meat and 90 %s prefer to buy products in bulk. Two-thirds of our fellow citizens even say they make their own recipes for everyday products (washing powder, soap, toothpaste, etc.). A DIY fashion that was thought to be reserved for a few green boo-boos.
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The media campaigns on the ecological impact of our travel are undoubtedly beginning to bear fruit, since 65 %s declare that they no longer take airplanes and a small majority (53 %s) no longer use private vehicles.
This is a step in the right direction and is something that the French are all the more willing to adopt as they do not weigh on their purchasing power. In fact, 62 % of the French believe that measures to preserve the environment do not necessarily have a negative impact on their purchasing power.
Everything would be better in the best of worlds if the future were a little brighter. But it isn't for 69 % of the French. They are a large majority to declare themselves pessimistic about the future of the planet. A figure that varies considerably with age, since the oldest (771 %) see a bleak future, while the youngest (59 % of 18-24 year olds) declare themselves resolutely optimistic. They probably know that they are the ones who will have to do the most to preserve the world in which they will live.
The Pope, who probably hasn't read this poll, was right to call, this Sunday 1er September in St. Peter's Square in Rome, to have, in terms of commitment to the planet, " the courage to do good without waiting for others to start, without waiting until it's too late "
Online survey conducted by Harris Interactive, for RTL and M6, on 28 and 29 August, with a representative sample of 1,066 people using the quota method.
