Austrians see climate change as the greatest threat to their future.
In a survey carried out by the Market Institute on behalf of Allianz Austria, 61 percent said that they see global warming as the greatest risk. In second place among the threats is the refugee issue (29 percent).
By the way, 24 percent, i.e. almost one in four respondents, do not see climate change as being caused by humans, more than two thirds (69 percent) already see it that way. Three percent think that there is no climate change at all.
“Climate change has really arrived in people’s everyday lives,” said Allianz CEO Rémi Vrignaud at the presentation.
Among the genders, women clearly have a greater awareness of climate protection. 63 percent of the female respondents saw global warming as the greatest danger, compared with 59 percent for men. So far, only 39 percent have actually felt personally affected by climate change.
Lots of pessimism
Overall, the respondents were extremely pessimistic about the fight against global warming. Only a little more than one in ten Austrians (12 percent) thought it would be realistic to achieve the climate target of below two degrees Celsius. This value was particularly low among those over 30, while boys under 30 were somewhat more optimistic at 22 percent.
Most of those questioned saw the main actors in the fight against climate change in politics (30 percent), the economy (22 percent) and industry (18 percent). However, these players received extremely poor reports. Not even one in five considers the measures taken to be effective, and just as few consider them to be credible. Only 16 percent believed promised political measures such as new climate protection laws. “There is a great loss of trust,” said Werner Beutelmeyer, director of the Market Institute. The NGOs, at 30 percent, received the greatest encouragement for solving climate problems.
If individual climate protection measures are taken, women in particular do so: They are in some cases well ahead when it comes to consistent waste separation, avoiding plastic packaging, purchasing organic products and using public transport.
The survey was carried out as an online survey by the Market Institute on behalf of Allianz Austria. 1,000 people representative of the Austrian population aged 16 and over were surveyed.
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