Most Canarians admit that climate change is a reality. This is revealed by the Canary Islands Sociobarometer in its new wave, a sixth edition that includes for the first time a monographic block dedicated to the environment. Specifically, the survey by the UNED of Gran Canaria indicates that 76% of Canarians respond with more than five -on a scale of 0 to 10- to the question “How sure are you that climate change is actually happening?”, while 23% doubt this statement to a greater extent.
The results of the Sociobarometer also reflect that only one in two islanders say they are very or quite concerned about environmental problems in the Canary Islands (54.9%), compared to 44.4% who respond that they are little or not at all concerned.
However, the semi-annual survey conducted by the UNED of Gran Canaria concludes that 61.7% of the citizens of the archipelago rate the environmental situation in the Canary Islands as fair, bad or very bad, a percentage that rises to 65.5% when asked directly about the situation of the environment on their specific island of residence.
Another response from the 3,200 Canarians who participated in this new edition of the Sociobarometer reinforces the existence of a group of climate change deniers in the islands: 24.9% say that “the so-called ecological crisis has been greatly exaggerated”, a percentage very similar to that of those who indicate that they are not very sure that climate change is happening.
Regarding which are the main environmental problems of the islands, Canarians place air pollution at the top of their ranking, followed closely by waste generation and management, and at a greater distance by forest mass conservation and water scarcity.
By car and without solar panels
This unique sociological study in the Canary Islands also focuses on the habits of the islanders that have an effect on the environment. Among them, the use of private cars stands out as the majority mobility option (54.7%) among those over 18 years of age, while public transport is only used by 20.8%, and 21.2% opt for bicycles, scooters or walking.
The Sociobarometer of the UNED of Gran Canaria also reveals that only 2% of Canarians who travel by public transport do so for environmental reasons, compared to the weight of reasons such as economic savings (48%), comfort (25.9%) or lack of own vehicle.
Nor is there a determined commitment in the Canary Islands to hybrid or electric cars: 16% of the population who have a private car use this type of green vehicle, and only 5% plan to switch to a more ecological private means of transport.
The survey also reflects that the use of solar panels continues to be a minority in the archipelago. 9.9% of respondents indicate that they take advantage of solar energy in their homes, compared to an overwhelming 89.6% who respond that they lack this type of installation in their home.
Personal actions
This new edition of the Canary Islands Sociobarometer also dedicates a large section to analyzing how the citizens of the islands contribute to the care of the environment and the fight against climate change. From the response of the respondents, it is concluded that Canarians have internalized some behaviors, but still do not apply other ecological measures in a majority way despite public awareness campaigns.
Thus, the use of low-energy light bulbs at home is the green action that Canarians most comply with (81% always or quite often), followed by carrying their own bags when shopping (74%) and measures to save energy (71%). However, only 45% of respondents say they buy locally sourced products, while 39% repair a broken appliance and 31% purchase second-hand items.
Canarians are more aware when it comes to separating waste at home and throwing it in its corresponding containers. 71% say they always or quite often do so with glass, 71% with plastic and 67% with paper. These percentages are drastically reduced with respect to the treatment of other types of waste: 36% of the people surveyed indicate that they take the waste to its corresponding clean point, while only 34% notify their town hall for the collection of belongings and 29% take expired medicines to a pharmacy.
The Canary Islands Sociobarometer is a survey on the opinions, habits and attitudes of the population of the Canary Islands and their evolution over time. This periodic demoscopic study, carried out by the UNED of Gran Canaria and financed by agreement by the Government of the Canary Islands, began its journey in February 2021 with a first pilot survey, which has been followed by the waves of November 2021, July 2022, November 2022, July 2023 and this last one of November 2023.
The results of this latest survey are based on a total of 3,200 telephone interviews in the Autonomous Community, which gives it a margin of error of 1.8% for the entire sample, for a confidence level of 95.5%. The fieldwork was carried out between October 4 and 25 of this year.
