Doubts over the green credentials of cars

It’s difficult to imagine what the world will look like in 30 years’ time. Difficult, but not impossible, or so young people tell us. According to them, cars will be as important, if not more important, than they are today. In their electric form, they are even seen as a symbol of progress through innovation.

CARS HAVE A GREAT DEAL TO ANSWER FOR WHEN IT COMES TO THE ENVIRONMENT…

Mentioning the environment inevitably leads us to place cars in the dock. So, guilty or not guilty?

On this point, young people are less forgiving than their elders. Almost half believe that they are the leading cause of global warming, a view shared by only 3 in 10 seniors. It should be stated that across all age groups, those who think that cars are the main cause of global warming are never in the majority.

This is a question that reveals major differences between China, Japan and Turkey, where cars are seen as the main culprit by around 60% of respondents, and every other country surveyed. City dwellers are also more likely to express this view.

Moreover, young people in urban areas are more vocal in singling out cars as the main source of pollution, although the gap here is less pronounced. Indeed, 64% are of this opinion, compared with just 58% of seniors.

What these results undoubtedly point to is the greater environmental awareness of young people, who tend to be better informed than their elders and feel very strongly that this is an issue that affects their future (Fig. 21).

AND THEIR PRESENCE IS NOT ALWAYS WELCOME

Differences of opinion between the generations are again evident when it comes to the question of banning the sale of combustion-powered cars. Once more, regardless of age, there is no majority in favour of such a policy. Only 39% of young people are opposed to it, compared with 46% of seniors. There are twice as many opponents in cities as there are in rural areas, and a similar proportion in most European countries.
Young people are also slightly stricter when it comes to the environmental regulations imposed on cars. However, only 24% believe them to be inadequate, with just 21% of seniors agreeing. 1 in 2 are of the view that current regulations are sufficient. As one might expect, criticism is more likely to be encountered in cities. Once again, the environmental “literacy” of young people, which is founded on higher-quality information, may account for this result (Fig. 22).