Scottish Climate Survey: main findings

Executive summary

The Scottish Climate Survey is a nationally representative survey of Scottish adults’ awareness, understanding and experiences of climate change-related issues.

Views on climate change

• over six in ten (62%) respondents said they knew a great deal or a fair amount about climate change
• almost three quarters (72%) felt climate change is an immediate and urgent problem, while 13% felt it is more of a problem for the future
• around two in five (39%) said they had spoken to others about climate change at least once a week in the last month
• the most trusted source of information or advice about climate change was universities, research organisations or scientists (74%), followed by the Scottish Government (39%), major national charities or third sector organisations (32%), and the UK Government (31%)
• when asked how thinking about climate change made them feel, respondents most commonly said they felt 'worried' (46%), 'powerless' (35%) or 'sad' (26%)
• just under a quarter (24%) of respondents said that their feelings about climate change never have a negative effect on them. Just over one in ten (11%) reported that their feelings about climate change have a negative effect on them constantly or often as they go about their daily activities

Experience of severe weather events

• most households reported that they had experienced storms and strong winds (89%), extremely heavy rain (79%) or very low temperatures, snow and ice (56%) in the last 12 months  
• while most households expected to experience storms and strong winds (94%) and extremely heavy rain (92%) in future, they were less likely to report that they felt prepared for these events (59% and 64% respectively)
• fewer households reported that they had experienced flooding (22%), heatwaves (11%) or drought (2%), or thought they were likely to experience these weather events in the future
• among households that had experienced a severe weather event in the last 12 months, the most commonly reported impacts were: property damage (21%), being unable to socialise with friends or family (21%), being unable to access local outdoor space (20%), and a negative impact on mental health (19%)

Climate change adaptation actions

• the level of uptake of adaptation actions was relatively low overall, and particularly low for flood resilience measures, which had been installed by just three per cent of households
• the most commonly reported adaptation actions were: keeping blinds or curtains closed during warm weather (47%); actions to reduce the likelihood of wildfires when in the outdoors (29%); and signing up to receive severe weather warnings or flood alerts (27%)
• the most common reasons that respondents gave for not taking action to adapt to climate change were: limited knowledge about what to do and how to do it (36%); the perceived cost of adaptation actions (33%); and not seeing such actions as necessary for them or their homes (32%)

Mitigation behaviours

• recycling was most commonly mentioned as among the four most effective actions for mitigating climate change, with over six in ten respondents (62%) selecting this
• next most mentioned were home energy efficiency measures (51%), minimising food waste (49%) and reducing use of electricity at home (48%)
• two thirds of respondents (66%) reported they think about the environmental impact of their daily actions at least sometimes, while a third (32%) said they rarely or never think about this

Transport

• just under two thirds of vehicle owners (65%) stated that they choose to leave their car at home and walk, wheel or cycle at least some of the time. However, most respondents (63%) believed it was not common for people they knew to choose to leave their car at home and walk, wheel or cycle 
• the use of transport sharing services was less common, with 33% saying they car shared with others from outside their household often or sometimes, and 14% that they used a formal transport sharing service
• under a quarter of respondents (23%) had been involved in decisions about transport in their local area in the past 12 months, most commonly by responding to an online public consultation or by contributing to a discussion online or on social media
• almost one in five (18%) said they would be willing to give up some of their time to be involved in decision making about transport locally.
• higher proportions felt that they were happy for others to make these decisions (43%) or that, while they would like to have a say, spending time on this was not a priority for them (27%)

Home energy and heat decarbonisation

• a third of households (33%) were finding it difficult to afford their energy bills
• more than four in ten (42%) said they were having to cut back spending on food and other essentials as a result of the need to spend more on energy bills
• most households (83%) had insulation installed in their home, with loft insulation being the most commonly installed type
• the main perceived barriers to installing wall or floor insulation were cost and concerns about the installation being too disruptive
• ownership of clean and renewable heating systems was uncommon, with less than 5% of households reporting they had a heat pump installed at home
• cost and a lack of interest were the main barriers given to installing a heat pump
• just under six in ten respondents who had installed a heat pump (59%) said their home was warmer and almost half (49%) reported that they had saved money on energy bills. However, 18% said their home was colder and 25% said their energy bills had increased as a result

Food and diet

• around one in three respondents (29%) said they always or often prepared meat-free meals at home, while fewer (17%) reported they always or often chose meat-free options when eating out
• over half (53%) reported that they always or often intentionally buy seasonal fruit and vegetables, while 36% said that they intentionally buy locally produced food always or often. Those living in rural areas and the over 70s were more likely to say they did each of these

Nature and the built environment

• over three quarters of respondents (77%) said they knew little or nothing about Scotland’s biodiversity crisis, while around two in ten (19%) reported knowing at least a fair amount about this
• six in ten (62%) had spent time in local green or blue spaces at least once a week in the past month. A large majority agreed that this had benefits for their mental and physical health (both 86%)
• disabled people, those living in Scotland’s most deprived areas, tenants and non-graduates were all less likely than average to have spent time in local green or blue spaces over the previous month
• just over one in five (22%) respondents said they had been involved in decision making about the use of local public spaces in the past year
• the main perceived barriers to involvement included lack of awareness about the existence of opportunities to get involved, needing more information about such opportunities and lack of time

Impacts of the transition to net zero

• more than two in five (44%) respondents thought that the net zero transition would improve quality of life by 2045, compared to 11% who thought it would have made it worse
• views on whether the transition would have a positive or negative impact on the availability of jobs were more mixed, with most saying it would make no difference or that they did not know
• two in five respondents (41%) thought their job had been or would be affected by the transition to net zero: 7% said their job had already changed, 29% expected their job would require changes in the future, and 4% believed their job would no longer exist