Some of the main findings from the survey are:
Figure 1 shows household ratings of the importance of a number of environmental issues. Tables 2A-2H provide a full breakdown of the responses by household characteristics.
Not important at all | Not very important | Fairly important | Very important | |
Water pollution | 0 | 1 | 19 | 79 |
Plastic waste | 0 | 2 | 22 | 74 |
Air pollution | 0 | 2 | 25 | 72 |
Climate change | 1 | 3 | 26 | 69 |
Loss of biodiversity | 0 | 3 | 29 | 67 |
Impact on our health of chemicals used in everyday products | 0 | 4 | 29 | 66 |
Flood and storm damage | 0 | 6 | 33 | 60 |
Lack of urban green spaces | 2 | 11 | 33 | 54 |
The issue that received the highest proportion of very important ratings was water pollution, with 79% of Irish household rating it very important. Plastic waste was a very important environmental concern for 74% of households while 72% rated air pollution as very important. Climate change was rated very important by 69% of households.
Around 60% of urban households and 39% of rural households rated a lack of urban green spaces as a very important issue.
Region | Very important |
---|---|
South-East | 74 |
Dublin | 71 |
West | 68 |
Mid-West | 65 |
South-West | 64 |
Midland | 64 |
Mid-East | 63 |
Border | 63 |
Households were asked to rate the importance to them of protecting the environment (see Table 2). Figure 2 shows a regional breakdown of households who rated protecting the environment as very important. Households in the South-East were most likely to consider protecting the environment to be very important at 74%, compared with 63% of households in the Border and Mid-East regions.
Air quality measure | |
Stricter pollution controls on industrial activities | 73 |
Provide higher financial incentives for low emission products | 54 |
Stricter controls on emissions from transport vehicles | 35 |
Provide more information to the public on air pollution | 33 |
Introduce traffic restrictions in polluted cities | 29 |
Better enforcement of existing air quality legislation | 27 |
Apply stricter controls on emissions from residential heating | 7 |
When asked which measures would be most effective at tackling problems of air quality, 73% of households supported stricter pollution controls on industrial and energy-production activities. Households were asked to select up to three measures. See Table 3 for a full breakdown of responses by household characteristics.
Higher financial incentives for low emission products were supported by 54% of households, while stricter controls on emissions from transport vehicles was considered one of the most effective measures by 35%. Urban traffic restrictions in polluted cities were supported by 29% of households. Only 7% of households supported stricter controls on emissions from residential heating.
Rural areas | Urban areas | |
Use motor vehicle less frequently in order to save money | 5 | 10 |
Use motor vehicle to the same extent because able to afford the extra cost | 5 | 11 |
Use motor vehicle to the same extent because no alternative means of transport | 69 | 40 |
Switch to an electric or hybrid vehicle | 7 | 13 |
Switch to using public transport | 2 | 3 |
Already use an electric or hybrid vehicle | 4 | 6 |
Do not use a motor vehicle | 3 | 11 |
Householders were asked how they would respond if tax on road transport fuels increased by 10% (see Table 4). Responses differed according to whether the household was in an urban or a rural area, with 69% of rural households and 40% of urban households stating that they would not reduce their fuel use as they have no alternative means of transport. In urban areas, 13% said they would consider switching to an electric or hybrid vehicle compared with 7% of rural households.
Response | |
Would invest in home energy efficiency measures | 19 |
Would not make energy efficiency improvements due to the upfront cost | 31 |
Would not make energy efficiency changes because able to afford the extra fuel cost | 6 |
Would not make energy efficiency changes as home is already very energy-efficient | 16 |
Live in rented accommodation | 20 |
Householders were also asked how they would respond if tax on home heating fuels increased by 10% (see Table 5). The upfront cost of energy efficiency improvements was considered unaffordable by 31% of households, while 19% stated they would invest in energy-efficiency measures. A further 16% of households considered their home to be already very energy-efficient.
Biodiversity measures | |
Consider biodiversity concerns in planning new infrastructure | 62 |
Increase protected nature areas | 53 |
Strengthen existing biodiversity regulations | 47 |
Ensure agricultural subsidies do not harm biodiversity | 42 |
Allocate more financial resources | 37 |
When asked which actions would best protect biodiversity, 62% of households chose ensuring biodiversity concerns are considered in the planning of new infrastructure investments. Households were asked to select three actions. A full breakdown of responses is provided in Table 7. The second most popular action was to increase the area of land where nature is protected, which was supported by 53% of households, while 47% believed that existing nature and biodiversity conservation regulations should be strengthened.
This publication is one of four statistical releases based on the CSO General Household Survey Environment module from Quarter 3, 2021. The other three reports cover Visits to Nature Areas; Waste and Recycling; and Energy Use.
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