Public attitudes towards sustainability in Great Britain

Since 2011, YouGov has been tracking public perceptions of the most important issues facing the country. Although the environment is felt to be highly important, it continually takes a backseat to other more immediate issues. But why is this?

To explore the competing priorities and nuances in public sentiment that exist across the UK, YouGov conducted a mixed methods study of both quantitative and qualitative research into public perceptions towards the environment and sustainability, revealing six distinct attitudinal segments.
The study involved three stages, all conducted in the UK in 2022 using YouGov’s market-leading panel.

Download the full report to learn more about these segments’ attitudes and public opinion on sustainability. The full report includes analysis on the following key themes:

• Prioritisation of sustainability – a comparison of prioritisation between environment and sustainability to other issues facing the country.
• Responsibility of sustainability – public perceptions of who currently is, and should be responsible for acting on sustainability, and how these attitudes translate into personal action.
• Consumer action and impact – an understanding on how much segments consider sustainability when making purchasing decisions, and what the UK population would be willing to do to live more sustainably.
• Information and education – a deep dive on sources of information on sustainability, and the impact of embedding sustainable practices in schools.
• Pathway to change – providing four key steps to integrate sustainability into public conversation and increase its salience.