New surveys show increasing popularity of car-sharing
26/11/2009

Two surveys out this week reveal an ever-increasing enthusiasm for car-sharing among people in Britain.

A new annual household survey named 'Understanding Society', which included a section on environmental topics, indicated a strong preference for environmental actions costing the least money and requiring the least effort*. A total of 15% of those questioned said that they now car-shared always or very often.

The survey, by the Economic and Social Research Council, the Institute for Social and Economic Research and the National Centre for Social Research, examined the environmental actions and preferences of 100,000 British people from 40,000 households.

Meanwhile, another survey out this week revealed that, whilst 15% of people already car-share very regularly, a further 45% are open to trying it.

The survey by Alphabet of more than 1,000 people showed that, while older drivers were less likely to welcome the idea of sharing journeys regularly, nearly 80% of younger respondents were ready to consider sharing to help reduce congestion and pollution. Overall, six out of 10 car users said they would be willing to car-share in future.

"To meet future carbon targets, businesses will need to closely control their energy use. Many traditional working patterns will be affected," said Mark Sinclair, director at Alphabet. "The fact that many respondents said they would consider a departure from the norm such as lift-sharing could be seen as a good sign for organisations that are thinking about introducing new policies and working practices in the coming years."

* Some of our most popular green behaviours are:

• Car-sharing
• Not buying items due to too much packaging
• Putting more clothes on when cold
• Taking own bag when shopping
• Switching off lights in unused room
• Not keeping the tap on when brushing teeth

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