Study reveals Brits going green out of guilt
The green trend is growing and according to a new Norwich Union study, 68% of Brits do it out of guilt and to “keep up with the Joneses.” A significant 56% consider unethical living to be a social taboo equivalent to drink driving and a whopping 90% admit to telling green fibs, pretending to live more ethical lifestyles and feeling obliged to live more ethically. Quite a number (20%) don’t know how to go about being greener, and 53% say they refuse to alter their lifestyles because of an amalgamation of confusion, lack of time, or objections to being told what to do.
I am not really surprised by these statistics and they do beg the question, are many people turning towards more ethical lifestyles because they are genuinely concerned about the environment, or because they want to appear to be concerned? I think it’s a mixture of both. Undoubtedly for some, ethical living is the latest fashion accessory to parade to their work colleagues, family, friends and acquaintances. Of course for others it may be the case that they want to do more, but don’t know how to go about it. The government should really be making more of an effort to help people understand how to live greener lives. What are your thoughts on the subject?
