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Click here to read the full article from Aviva: 2 November 2024

• Three in five UK adults have witnessed the impact of climate change during their lifetime
• UK adults aged 65+ more likely to take many climate-conscious actions
• But those aged 18-24 most likely to prefer pre-owned items, with selling apps and sites driving interest
• UK adults aged 45-54 most likely to say they are vegan / vegetarian

The UK’s over-65s continue to set an example when it comes to climate-conscious behaviours, according to a new study from Aviva. This echoes findings from a similar Aviva study carried out in 2023.

Not only are over-65s adopting certain eco-friendly behaviours more readily than other age groups, research suggests they are also more likely to take further steps in the future.

The data, compiled to support Aviva’s latest Climate-Ready Index, finds that over-65s are most likely to:

• turn off lights in rooms they are not using (90%)
• recycle as much as possible (89%)
• turn down the heating to save energy (76%)
• choose a low temperature / short cycle on their washing machine (72%)
• avoid buying things with excessive packaging (56%)
• buy locally sourced food where possible (53%)
• and repair items rather than replacing (50%).

This is in contrast to those aged 18-24 who have the lowest uptake of each of these actions, compared to other age groups.

Interestingly, those aged 45-54 are most likely to say that they are vegan or vegetarian at 15%, compared to 11% across all age groups, including 11% of 18-24s.

Individual actions over the next 10 years – older people still lead the way

More striking still is the suggestion that older UK residents are most likely to be taking further actions in the future than other age groups. A related Aviva study finds that over the next 10 years, over-65s are three times more likely than 18-24s to be planning certain behaviours, to reduce their impact on the environment.

Such actions include:

• Turning off lights in rooms they are not using (65% vs 18%)
• Turning the heating down to save energy (57% vs 15%)
• Choosing a low temperature / short cycle on a washing machine (49% vs 10%)
• Recycling as much as possible: (69% vs 19%).

Repairing, re-using, and the rise of the re-selling app

While older people appear to be setting the standard for climate-conscious behaviours, there is one area where younger people stand out.

When it comes to buying second-hand, those aged 18-24 are most likely to purchase selected pre-owned items, including clothes (36% vs 21% all ages), shoes (33% vs 14% all ages) and furniture (45% vs 24% all ages).

The prevalence of buying / selling apps, online auctions and community sites has also increased people’s interest in pre-owed items, particularly among those aged 25-34. Nearly two thirds (63%) of people in this age group say they are more interested in buying second-hand items as a result of the availability of online sites and apps, compared to 43% across all age groups and 23% of those aged 65+. Similarly, those aged 25-34 are most likely to sell items through these routes (61%), compared to 21% of over-65s.

On the flipside, older people are considerably more likely to repair damaged garments, with 42% of over-65s stating they would repair clothes, compared to 23% of 18-24s.

Witnessing climate change

This readiness to adopt climate-conscious behaviours may be in part due to people’s direct experiences of climate change. Aviva’s research reveals 67% of over 65s surveyed have witnessed climate change in their lifetime, compared to 60% of UK adults overall. And in spite of their younger years, half (50%) of those aged 18-24 say they have seen examples of climate change, alongside 63% of those aged 25-34.

The most commonly observed impacts of climate change in the UK relate to wet weather, with (67%) saying they have witnessed more rain, flooding and storms. Around half of respondents have experienced hotter summers (49%), while almost one in five (19%) point to the availability of crops (or lack of) in their local area.