The Welsh are Britain's most eco conscious people, according to a new study by Imperial College London commissioned by EDF Energy to celebrate Green Britain Day.

30% of respondents in Wales state that they are very concerned about climate change, compared to the West Midlands where that figure falls to just 12%. However it's in London where people are most actively working towards a greener lifestyle – 85% of Londoners surveyed have already made changes to their lifestyle, compared to the East Midlands where 11% of people haven’t made any changes to their habits and don’t believe they need to.

According to the survey, while Londoners are working towards a greener lifestyle, they have yet to get around to making their home more energy efficient, with 36% of Londoners admitting to having no insulation at home, whereas just 3% of people surveyed in the East Midlands have no home insulation.

On a European scale the report places Britain sixth in a table of 10 comparable European countries, showing that while we are all making strides towards a more sustainable future, there is still some way to go in the race against climate change. The study analysed attitudes and habits to create a LEAF (Low Energy Alternative Future) Factor for ten top European countries, showing that Britain is losing out to France, Italy and Spain in the race to become a truly sustainable nation.


The independent research asked 5,700 people around Europe for their views on sustainability and low energy living. The data was analysed by Imperial College London's Energy Futures Lab, led by its Director, Professor Nigel Brandon. The academics compared the results of the research with information on each country’s energy consumption, energy generation, international travel and food intake from a range of recognised sources such as the World Bank and the International Environment Agency (IEA). The research was grouped into three areas EDF Energy has identified where people can change their daily habits and make a difference to their energy consumption: Home, Travel and Food, as well as more general information about people’s level of concern about climate change. While other factors could influence this, the findings nevertheless show huge differences in people’s understanding of the climate challenges facing Europe, and not only between different countries but also around the Britain, where attitudes varied greatly.

Eva Eisenschimmel, Chief Operating Officer at EDF Energy said: "As we all celebrate the second Green Britain Day, EDF Energy wanted to take a look at how we’re doing as a country compared to our European neighbours as the challenge of climate change affects all of us. The results of the poll show we can all learn lessons about the best ways to become truly sustainable.

"A huge majority of Britons is willing to make changes to save energy in our daily lives if the right support can be put in place. That’s why we’re once again encouraging people to make simple changes in the daily lives to save money and energy by joining the growing Team Green Britain movement. As the UK's largest producer of low carbon electricity and London 2012's first sustainability partner, EDF Energy has created Team Green Britain to inspire and enable people across the country to take action against climate change."

(CD/GK)