Public would rather use sustainable transport than eat less meat

A new report has revealed that people across the UK would rather tackle climate change by using greener modes of everyday transport rather than eating less meat or taking fewer flights. 

The survey, conducted by micromobility operator Tier and market research agency Opinium, asked what actions people would take to cut their carbon footprint this year. With 38% of respondents stating that they would switch to greener transport, 28% specifically choosing to switch to e-bikes or e-scooters.

The study of 2,100 adults across 14 UK cities found that making changes to city transport habits was a more popular idea than either eating less meat (30%) or taking fewer flights (26%). Reducing household energy use (51%) was the most popular option, unsurprising at the moment given rocketing energy bills and the cost-of-living-crisis.

It also found that people in Scotland are the most likely to try and cut their carbon footprint by switching to greener transport, with 43% looking to change their travel habits, followed closely by Londoners at 42%, the East Midlands and the South West at 39%, and the North East at 36%.

Currently, 28% of respondents use a private car or van to get around every day, but the majority said they would be willing to use an e-scooter or e-bike to replace one in four of those trips if they had a local scheme. In the North East, which has some of the highest car and van use, 82% of car and van users responding said they would use a rental e-scooter or e-bike if they could.

Commenting on the research, Georgia Yexley, general manager at Tier, said, “The appetite for green transport is clearly there, but it’s not as simple as just introducing the vehicles to UK streets and expecting the problem to solve itself. If we are to drive down emissions on the scale necessary to tackle climate change, we need the right regulatory frameworks and physical infrastructure in place, and a determined effort to encourage widespread, sustained behaviour change. Only then can we truly tackle the greatest global threat we face.”