Young people see their own lifestyle as less climate-conscious

© Hollandse Hoogte / Jaco Klamer
In 2023, young people aged 18 to 24 were found to adopt a less climate-conscious lifestyle than people in older age groups. Young people are also more likely to display less environmentally friendly behaviour, such as travelling by air more often. When it comes to experiencing flight shame, however, they are no different from people in most other age groups. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this in the context of the National Youth Monitor on the basis of figures from the 2023 Perceptions survey.
Young people aged 18 to 24 gave themselves an average score of 6.2 for their own climate-awareness (on a scale of 1 "I do not have a climate-conscious lifestyle" to 10 "I have a very climate-conscious lifestyle"). This score is higher among older people. In the oldest age groups, the average score was 7.


Sixty percent of younger people think they should adopt a more climate-conscious lifestyle, while in older age groups more than half take that view.

Younger people fly more often than older people

Younger people tend to display less environmentally friendly behaviour, travelling by air more often for instance. In 2023, 61 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds said they had travelled by air in the previous twelve months. People aged 25 to 34 also flew relatively frequently. Approximately 45 percent of 35 to 54-year-olds said they had travelled by air in the previous twelve months. Frequency of air travel decreased with age, and fell by 14 percent among those aged 75 and over. They often flew for holidays or a city trip. Approximately 20 percent of people in younger age groups had been on holiday outside Europe in the previous twelve months. This share was 4 percent among those aged 75 and older.


1 in 5 younger people who travel by air experience flight shame

Twenty-two percent of 18 to 24-year-olds who sometimes travel by air said they feel guilty about this due to the effect on the climate. Approximately half of this group said they did not feel guilty about it. The level of flight shame among younger people is similar to the level reported by people aged 25 to 64, but those aged 65 and over who occasionally travel by air are more likely to feel guilty about flying.

Older people find it easier to reduce or avoid travel by air

More than 30 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds who occasionally go on holiday by air are definitely willing to reduce their air travel for the sake of the climate. This number is similar among those aged 25 to 64, while about half of people aged 65 and over are willing to reduce their holiday travel by air. Fewer people are willing to give up holiday travel by air entirely; 6 percent of those aged 18 to 24 said they were definitely willing to do this, compared with 24 percent of those aged 75 and over.

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