Public Opinion Research into Attitudes on Future Generations
How concerned is the public about future generations? IF – working alongside the Foundation for Democracy and Sustainable Development – attempted to answer this question using opinion polling undertaken by Ipsos MORI which gathered views from a representative sample of 989 UK adults.
The results showed that the UK public is far more concerned about future generations than many people would expect. Over 63% of the sample group thought that the interests of all future generations were more important than either those of the current generation or their children’s generation, and there was widespread concern for passing on a healthy planet which will be capable of sustaining future generations biologically, rather than simply a planet which is rich in terms of wealth and technology.
Intriguingly, the data also suggested that the public wants the government to do more long-term thinking, as a large proportion of those surveyed said they felt the interests of future generations are given too little attention by current policy-makers. This report deserves to be ready by anyone who has an interest in helping today’s society provide the best possible legacy for future generations.