Behavioural study published: People need more information on how to act for nature
Based on the behavioural study, the Finns are better aware of climate change than of biodiversity loss.
The Behavioural Foresight and Knowledge in Public Policy team of the Prime Minister’s Office (FINBEPOL) together with the Ministry of the Environment has conducted a study on factors influencing people’s environmental behaviour in Finland. The study supports the work to develop the Climate and Nature Barometers. The barometers map out the attitudes of the Finns to climate and nature actions.
Based on the study, 57% of the respondents consider that they know as much about climate change as the other citizens and 37% consider that they know even more. Awareness of matters related to biodiversity loss is considered much weaker: only 24% of the respondents estimate that they know more about the topic than others.
The results show that many Finns do not know how they as private individuals could contribute to nature and climate actions. Of the respondents to the Nature Barometer, 56% consider that the knowledge of the Finns concerning biodiversity loss is not sufficient. However, 76% of the Finns consider that everyone is responsible for the protection and sustainable use of biodiversity, but as many as 31% feel that they do not know whether they are acting for the benefit of these.
“Based on this, it would seem that knowledge about how private individuals can act for the benefit of nature is an important message that has not yet reached the people broadly enough,” says Chief Specialist Maarit Lassander from the Prime Minister’s Office.
According to the study, people who are active in environmental matters (48%) are committed to taking various kinds of measures to fight against climate change and biodiversity loss. The percentages are similar in the results of the Climate Barometer: less than half of the Finns report that they as private individuals are active in taking environmental measures.
The study indicates that financial reasons are the main obstacle to acting for the climate: this is mentioned by more than half of the respondents (51%). Only about half of the Finns (49%) believe that choices made by private individuals have an impact, which reflects the lack opportunities to influence matters experienced by many people.
“We need more concrete opportunities to act, economic incentives and stronger faith in the possibility of private individuals to have an impact in environmental issues. Sustainable choices such as environmentally friendly consumer habits are often also economically profitable for the consumers,” Lassander says.
“The motivation and opportunities of the Finns to act for nature and the climate should be increased by improving their awareness, making it easier to make environmentally friendly choices and strengthening the feeling of inclusion,” she sums up.