Recent results of the 2021-2022 Climate Survey published by the European Investment Bank (EIB) reveal the difficult choices young people are facing between a desire to travel and tackling climate change. When asked about future car purchases, 63% of Belgian car buyers say they would either buy a hybrid or electric car. This figure is 26 points higher than the percentage of Belgians who said they would buy a diesel or petrol vehicle (37%) and similar to the Benelux average (62%), but slightly lower than the EU average (67%). More specifically, 39% would purchase a hybrid vehicle and 24% would opt for an electric vehicle.
Similar to Belgian respondents, 62% of Dutch car buyers say they would choose either a hybrid or an electric car. This figure is 24 points higher than the percentage of Dutch people who said they would buy a diesel or petrol vehicle (38%) and equal to the Benelux average (62%), but slightly lower than the EU average (67%). More specifically, 29% would purchase a hybrid vehicle and 33% would opt for an electric vehicle.
People in Benelux are increasingly adapting their mobility and consumption habits in a more sustainable manner to tackle climate change. People of all ages are willing to make stronger commitments in their daily lives to help mitigate the climate crisis.
Kris Peeters, EIB Vice-President
51% of Luxembourgish car buyers say they will either buy a hybrid or electric car. This figure is only two points higher than the percentage of those who said they would choose a diesel or petrol vehicle (49%). It is also 16 points below the EU average (67%) and 11 points below the Benelux average (62%). More specifically, 31% of respondents would purchase a hybrid vehicle and 20% would opt for an electric vehicle.
Meanwhile, 10% of Belgians overall say they do not have a vehicle now and are not planning to buy one, compared to 13% of Dutch respondents and 5% of people in Luxembourg (EU average: 13%, Benelux average: 11%). With 62% of car buyers in the Benelux countries saying they would opt for a hybrid or electric vehicle, people there seem more inclined to switch to new car technologies compared to Germans (52%) for instance, while they are similarly inclined to choose these types of vehicles as French people are (61%).
More specifically, car buyers in the Benelux countries seem more inclined to choose hybrid vehicles, with 33% of them stating their next car will have this type of engine. They seem more inclined to opt for hybrid cars than German car buyers (29%), while French car buyers seem more interested in purchasing a hybrid (38%).
One of the EIB’s key roles is to finance innovative projects that focus on electric mobility as well as other sustainable mobility solutions that help build a decarbonized future for all.
Kris Peeters, EIB Vice-President
Car buyers in the Benelux countries seem more inclined to buy an electric car (29%) than their German (23%) and French (23%) neighbors. European car buyers tend to favor hybrid vehicles (39%), while petrol or diesel vehicles are ranked second (33%) and electric cars come third (28% state they would purchase an electric car). While Chinese car buyers are the most inclined to buy an electric car (44%), Americans would opt first for a hybrid vehicle (38%), followed by a petrol or diesel vehicle (33%), then an electric car (29%).
1. Climate protection versus flying for holidays
60% of Belgians say they consider climate change when choosing their holiday destination, compared to 55% of Dutch people and 56% of Luxembourgish people (EU average: 67%, Benelux average: 57%). This concern is stronger or equal amongst people aged 15-29 (63% of Belgians, 58% of Dutch respondents, 55% of Luxembourgish respondents, EU average for 15-29 year-olds: 69%).
However, a majority of people aged 15-29 (56% of Belgians, 57% of Dutch people, 64% of Luxembourgish people) say they will fly for their summer holidays in 2022 (EU average for 15-29 year-olds: 52%). In addition, 27% of young Belgians, 33% of young Dutch people, and 44% of young people in Luxembourg say they will even fly to a faraway destination (EU average for 15-29 year-olds: 27%).
2. How climate considerations affect people’s decisions
43% of Belgians, 37% of Dutch people, and 26% of people in Luxembourg say they buy second-hand clothes instead of new ones (EU average: 42%, Benelux average: 39%). For Belgians, this figure is highest for people aged 15-29 (57% say they already buy second-hand clothes) and decreases with age (43% for people aged 30-64 and 30% for people above 65).
Among Dutch people, this practice is particularly popular among 15-29 year-olds (46%), while the figure drops 17 points for people older than 65 (29%). In Luxembourg, women are more likely to buy second-hand clothes than men (33% for women vs. 19% for men). 54% of 15-29 year-olds in the EU say they buy second-hand clothes, compared to 42% of 30-64 year old respondents and 28% of people aged 65 and older. Women in the EU are more likely than men to purchase second-hand clothes (48% for women vs. 34% for men).
44% of Belgians, 41% of Dutch people, and 26% of people in Luxembourg consider climate change when searching for a job (EU average: 43%, Benelux average: 42%). This is particularly the case for Belgian 15-29 year-olds: 56% of them take climate change into consideration when job hunting, compared to 41% for people aged 30-64 (15 points lower). This is also the case for Dutch 15-29 year-olds: 51% of young people take climate change into consideration when job hunting, compared to 39% for people aged 30-64 (12 points lower).
Although the overall figure for respondents in Luxembourg is 17 points below the EU average of 43%, this remains the case for 15-29 year-olds: 36% of young people in Luxembourg take climate change into consideration when job hunting (which is still 18 points below the EU average of 54% for this age group). Overall, 39% of Belgians, 40% of Dutch people, and 34% of people in Luxembourg consider climate change when they choose their bank or invest their savings (EU average: 45%, Benelux average: 40%).
The EIB is the lending arm of the European Union and the world’s largest multilateral lender for climate action projects.
