High Satisfaction with Local Environment
"Satisfaction with the local environment is high. The quality of drinking water, the condition of lakes and rivers, as well as the quality of food and air are rated as very good or rather good by over 90 percent," said Statistics Austria Director General Tobias Thomas on Thursday. Just under a quarter see climate change as the biggest environmental problem.
Climate Change, Destruction of Nature and Soil Sealing Biggest Problems for Local Environment
The availability of green spaces was rated as very good or rather good by 78 percent in the microcensus survey in the 3rd quarter of 2023 by Statistics Austria, and the noise situation only by 68.5 percent. Climate change (24.3 percent) and destruction of nature (20.2 percent) were most frequently selected as a massive environmental problem. "The issue of soil sealing was included in the 2023 survey for the first time as another environmental problem and was the most pressing for 17.7 percent," it said in a statement.
Effects of Climate Change Noticeable for Half
The effects of climate change on personal life were noticeable for almost half of the respondents (for 6.6 percent very strongly and 37.5 percent rather already) and were predominantly rated as negative. During a heatwave, about 77.6 percent felt physically burdened by heat to at least a moderate extent. The majority believed that they could make a significant contribution to climate protection - 48.2 percent thought it was rather important and 36 very important to contribute personally. In the areas of living and heating (78.6 percent), mobility and traffic in everyday life (75 percent) and eating (74.7 percent), over 70 percent of respondents said that they are already trying to pay attention to climate protection.
Circular Economy Also a Central Topic
The circular economy was also a central topic in the survey. The majority of respondents indicated that they use washing machines (64.2 percent) and televisions (57.3 percent) for more than ten years. 30.3 percent use a smartphone for more than six years. The willingness of respondents to have electrical appliances repaired under certain conditions was generally relatively high, highest for washing machines (78.4 percent), smartphones (75 percent) and TV sets (69.2 percent). The most important prerequisite for the willingness to have these products repaired was that the repair costs a maximum of 50 percent of the new price.
(APA/Red)
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