Reveal Marketing Research Study: 55% of Romanians are worried about the negative effects of carbon emissions
Global CO2 emissions reached a record high in 2021, following a slight regression at the beginning of the pandemic. In this context, Reveal Marketing Research conducted a national study to understand Romanians’ perceptions of sustainability in construction and their priorities for the future.
- 55% of Romanians are worried about the negative effects of carbon emissions;
- 70% of the youngest respondents (18-24 years old) say they would trust to build a house with the most sustainable building material;
- more than half of construction specialists (53%) say they are concerned about carbon emissions in this area of activity.
Official data show a worrying situation caused by the uncontrolled emissions of carbon emissions into the atmosphere, against the already alarming background of the manifestation of negative effects of climate change on the planet and, implicitly, on humans.
Carbon footprint – what is it?
The carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas emissions that are released into the atmosphere as a result of various economic and human activities undertaken on a daily basis. It generates the well-known phenomenon of global warming and is measured in tons of CO2 emissions.
Carbon emissions from energy and industrial processes reached a threshold of 36.3 billion tonnes in 2021, after a slightly lower value during the pandemic of 34.2 billion tonnes in 2020.
The level of concern and awareness about the negative effects of unsustainable construction practices is high
The results of the study revealed that Romanians are highly concerned about construction issues that affect the quality of life and the environment. 55% of them are concerned about the negative effects of carbon emissions, 61% of the volume of non-recyclable materials used, and 69% of the disposal of construction waste in inappropriate places.
The growing interest of young people in protecting the environment is reflected and decisively influences their daily choices
8 out of 10 young people believe that innovation / modernity helps them to protect their environment. Thus, their expectation from construction companies is to meet consumers with modern solutions and environmentally friendly products.
1 in 2 Romanians would trust to build a house with the building material that has the lowest carbon footprint, especially young people under 44 years old
Also, for the youngest respondents, there is a greater inclination to choose sustainable materials – 70% say they would trust to build with the most sustainable masonry material.
57% of the respondents who currently live in houses / blocks of flats whose main building material is AAC consider to a greater extent that they would have a lot and a lot of confidence to build a house with the same low carbon footprint material.
Caring for the environment is also a priority for construction specialists
83% of construction experts believe that environmentally friendly products should be promoted as a matter of priority.
Currently, more than half of the specialists in the study (53%) say they are largely concerned about carbon emissions in construction, 37% say they have a neutral attitude and only 11% say they are not at all concerned about this topic.
For 77% of them, it is important that the construction materials used contribute to the reduction of carbon emissions, this aspect being a criterion for choosing construction materials, especially among those who choose to use AAC in their projects.
About Reveal Marketing Research
Reveal Marketing Research is a full-service market research company, specialized in market research, sociological studies, customer insight, business strategy, market development. With expertise in over 20 industries, Reveal Marketing Research believes that market research is the basis for the right decisions and brand positioning. Qualitative and quantitative solutions have been helping companies in Romania and Europe for 13 years.
Methodology: The Reveal Marketing Research study was conducted online between 17-26.05.2022 on a representative sample for the universe of people aged 18+, internet users. The sample size was 1269 respondents + 505 respondents employed in constructions, and the maximum sampling error for the general target is +/- 2.8% at a 95% confidence level.
*** The data belongs to the market research company Reveal Marketing Research and is used to put in context the future business studies for the company’s clients.