ENDESA S A : More than half of young Spaniards demand more environmental content in schools

• The Endesa Foundation'sEcobarometer 2021 report, an updated version of the one published in 2016, which measures the ecological culture of Spaniards, was released today.
• The key findings show that more than half of young people believe that environmental material is insufficient or that school should play a larger role in increasing our low-middle-range ecological culture. Furthermore, the survey shows that citizens in general find it difficult to accept the costs of environmental protection.
• Its authors note that society is becoming more environmentally aware, but so slowly that significant improvements have not been possible over the last four years.

Young Spaniards perceive climate change to be the most serious environmental problem, and they have become more environmentally active in recent years. These are some of the findings in the report "La cultura ecológica en España: prioridades, costes, actitudes, y el papel de la escuela" ("Ecological culture in Spain: priorities, costs, attitudes and the role of schools"), published by the Endesa Foundation, in collaboration with the European Foundation for Society and Education. This study is an updated 2021 edition of the first "Ecobarómetro. Cultura ecológica y educación" ("Ecobarometer: ecological culture and education"), published in 2016. Víctor Pérez-Díaz and Juan Carlos Rodríguez (president and researcher at Analistas Socio-Políticos, respectively) are the authors of both studies.

Climate change, especially its international dimension, current youth environmental activism, electric mobility, and the context in which the general public and young people construct their responses, i.e. the pandemic, are some of the new topics covered in the 2021 Ecobarometer.

The data for the report was collected in October 2020 from two samples of 1,200 and 1,000 people, representing the population aged 18-35 and the overall population aged 18-75, respectively. The first used an online method, while the second used a computer-assisted telephone interview. To date, this is one of the few studies in Spain (and possibly in Spain's neighbouring countries) that focuses on young people and the relationship between their school experience and environmental attitudes and behaviours.

"This latest edition of the Ecobarometer is another sign of the Endesa Foundation's dedication to education and the environment," says Javier Blanco, CEO of the Endesa Foundation. Besides gauging the Spanish population's present commitment to sustainability, ecology, and the environment, we hope to promote public awareness of the importance of environmental preservation and the possibilities of improving environmental education among younger generations.

The environmental issues faced by young spaniards of 18-35, and the role of schools Key results

• 91.9% (96.7% in 2016) of the young people interviewed think that the problem of environmental conservation is very or fairly serious. As in 2016, they say the following stand out: climate change (cited by 50.2%; 43.2% in 2016), air pollution (32.7%; 36% in 2016), and depletion of natural resources (23.7%; 28.6% in 2016).
• Between 2016 and 2020, the results show that young people became more environmentally active: in 2016, 7% said they were members of an environmental group; by 2020, that number had risen to 13.9 percent.
• 53.4% think that school curricula were very insufficient or insufficient in the area of key environmental issues, almost the same as in 2016 (54%).
• Their degree of trust in their two main sources of information is fairly even: 64.3% choose environmental associations and 63% choose scientists.