« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
Key Scottish Environment Statistics 2004
Public Concern about Environmental Issues:
1991 and 2002
Percentage of 'very worried' or 'quite worried' respondents
| 'Very worried' | 'Quite worried' |
Issue | 1991 | 2002 | 2002 |
Raw sewage put into the sea | 58 | 49 | 35 |
Nuclear waste | 51 | 47 | 33 |
Damage to the ozone layer | 48 | 34 | 42 |
Pollution of rivers, lochs and seas | 57 | 30 | 45 |
Protection of wildlife | 25 | 28 | 45 |
Respondents to the 2002 survey of Public Attitudes to the Environment in Scotland 1 were asked how concerned they were with 23 environmental issues. The chart above shows the 10 issues that caused most concern. It also compares responses with those from a corresponding survey in 1991. 2
Although there have been significant improvements in both the level of treatment and amount of sewage treated before being discharged to the sea since 1991, in 2002 "raw sewage put into the sea" remained the issue that caused the most public concern. 84% of those surveyed were either 'very worried' or 'quite worried' about this issue. Other issues dealing with pollution and waste also caused concern. For example, 47% were 'very worried' about nuclear waste and 30% were 'very worried' about pollution of Scottish rivers, lochs and seas.
The percentage of respondents 'very worried' about many individual environmental issues fell between 1991 and 2002. For example, in 1991 42% of respondents were 'very worried' about global warming, compared with 25% in 2002.
The issues that caused least concern in 2002 (not shown on the chart) were fish farming (7% 'very worried' and 21% 'quite worried'), lack of access to parks (10% and 26%), farming methods (11% and 31%) and forestry (11% and 32%).
SOURCE: SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
Attitudes to Changing Way of Life: 2002
Percentage
| Most people need to change | Respondent needs to change |
Strongly agree | 27 | 8 |
Agree | 50 | 38 |
Neither agree nor disagree | 12 | 18 |
Disagree | 4 | 25 |
Strongly disagree | 1 | 6 |
Sustainable development is commonly defined as development that 'meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'. 3 There is growing recognition of the need for sustainable development at local and national level. This includes minimising the impact of our actions on future generations by reducing our use of resources and living within the capacity of the planet to sustain our activities.
Respondents to the 2002 survey of Public Attitudes to the Environment in Scotland 1 were asked if they agreed there was a need to change current lifestyles so that future generations could continue to enjoy a good quality of life and environment. 4 Over three-quarters (77%) agreed that there was a need for most people in Scotland to change their way of life and 5% disagreed. However, less than half (46%) of the respondents agreed that they themselves needed to change their way of life and over three in ten (31%) disagreed.
The Scottish Executive has specified a set of 24 indicators to measure progress on sustainable development in Scotland. 5
SOURCE: SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
« Previous | Contents | Next »