Money more important than climate for Norwegian energy customers

Norwegian electricity customers are still more concerned with the size of their electricity bill than climate pressures from their own energy consumption. Attitudes have changed little in ten years.

The attention over the past ten years to climate change and environmental impact has had little effect on consumers. This shows Kantar TNS ‘so-called energy barometer for the third quarter.

“It’s still the economic cost that most consumers worry about and  their own energy consumption. The pressure they inflict on the climate and the environment bothers them only to a small extent, states the survey.

– More important things to think about
The energy barometer is a quarterly survey that has been carried out since 1997. The purpose is to follow developments in electricity customers’ attitudes and behaviors.

67 percent of the surveyed respondents think they do enough to reduce their own energy consumption. More than 40 percent state that they know that it is advisable to limit energy consumption, but that they have more important things to think about.

33 percent rarely think about reducing their own energy consumption, while 32 percent say that this will put a damper on their lifestyle.

Less worried
The higher the annual energy consumption, the more concerned about the cost.  Frp voters are overrepresented amongst those who are most concerned with costs, whilst the voters for MDG and SV are overrepresented among those who are most concerned about the climate.

The survey also shows that fewer worry about climate change due to pollution than ten years ago. The proportion falls from 84 per cent in 2007 to 78 per cent in this year’s survey. The decline applies regardless of gender, age and geography, but women are more concerned (88 percent) than men.

 

©  NTB Scanpix / Norway Today

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