Sustainability, the young need more reasons to be positive

The future will be sustainable, but for the time being more effort is required, especially from “others” – i.e. institutions and society. This is the opinion of many young Italians, according to a survey commissioned by Enel Green Power and conducted by Istituto Piepoli. The latter interviewed one thousand young people aged between 12 and 20 – most of whom are pupils at middle and secondary schools – about the topic of environmental sustainability and their concerns: chief among these was global warming. Young people and the environment: five different outlooks In the age of Fridays For Future, the student climate strikes instigated by the young Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, there is a substantial proportion of “environmental activists” (19% of interviewees) who call for concrete efforts to protect the environment and are willing to pay more for “sustainable” products; they also take part in protests and demonstrations. Then there are “the virtuous” (25%), who are careful not to waste electricity, water and food and are scrupulous about differentiating their household waste. Nonetheless, these two groups combined still represent a minority, albeit a significant one, of the total young people interviewed. Alongside the so-called “don’t care” group, whose members are not interested in sustainability because they think that it isn’t necessary (this is the smallest cluster and makes up 14%), there are also the “self-critical” (24%), who are aware that their lifestyles do not help the environment but, at the same time, are convinced that the same is true also for other people. Finally, there are the “disillusioned” (19%), who think that by themselves they can’t do anything to save the environment and subsequently feel powerless: they believe that there are more pressing issues than sustainability but, nonetheless, they do pay some attention to their electricity and water consumption and to differentiating their household waste. The data would appear to indicate that among young people there is significant potential for developing sustainability. But there is also a need to build a relationship of trust with them, based on tangible and recognizable actions and examples, and to help them understand that individual behavior matters too. “We can define young Italians as “pragmatic idealists”: they oscillate between a desire for a better future and a skepticism about the present, which risks disappointing them. They were born in challenging times and this has prepared them for a crisis that they do not fear. Sustainability is a priority for them and they are certain that the future will be better than the present, above all, thanks to their own individual choices: more electric cars, more attention to consumption. But they also believe that, in order to save the planet, their personal commitment is not enough: institutions need to support individual behavior and drive change.” Livio Gigliuto, vice president of Istituto Piepoli Individual actions that make the difference Around one third of the young people interviewed consider their own lifestyles to be sustainable (slightly fewer compared with adults, for whom this figure is 37%), and two thirds admit that they behave only occasionally in ways that are not sustainable, above all, through wasting electricity and water. But when asked about the behavior of their friends and peers, the youngsters are more critical, citing mainly wasting food and disinterest in how waste is differentiated. On average, the “unsustainable” behavior of others is considered worse than their own and 64% think that their friends, classmates and peers do not do enough for the environment. On the contrary, 75% of the sample is convinced that they always or often pay attention in their daily actions to behaving in a sustainable manner. Young people, however, like the rest of the adults interviewed on the same topic, are aware that sustainable behaviors generate benefits, especially for the sea and the air: a total of 91% of respondents cited either “many benefits” or “some benefits.” Less widespread, however, is the conviction that this way of way of acting helps society or economic wellbeing. "We believe that the sustainability of our present actions will contribute to the creation of a greener and fairer future. Young people are the energy of tomorrow: for this reason we consider it fundamental to listen to their voices, to better understand their vision so we can take all of this into account in the choices that we make each day”. Antonella Santilli, Head of CSV and Sustainability Projects, EGP The greatest concern for youngsters, when it comes to the environment, is climate change: 52% are worried about this, while adults are more concerned about air pollution. But at the same time, young people have faith in the future: 51% believe that people will behave in ways that are better than today’s, and only 10% fear that things will get worse. An encouraging 86% believe that they too will be part of this positive action (compared with 77% of adults). For youngsters the cities of the future will have efficient buildings powered by renewable energy and its inhabitants will drive electric cars. However, only 26% believe that the seas and oceans will be cleaner. The youngsters questioned only have limited confidence in the actions taken by institutions to combat climate change: 46% have little or no faith (but among adults this is even worse at 54%). 46% also call for more action in the management of waste, polluting gases and energy. Young people, however, still pay little attention to the link between sustainability and energy: only 16% indicate this. A comparable 16% say that they would like to know more about the energy transition (14% about decarbonization) while 40% think, above all, about the general issue of climate change.

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Sustainability, the young need more reasons to be positive