The Dutch have taken shorter showers in the past year and we are more likely to opt for second-hand clothing. This is apparent from research by I&O Research on behalf of the magazine Domestic Governance.
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Our behavioral change can partly be explained by the energy crisis
For years, about seven in ten Dutch people have been concerned about CO2 emissions and climate change. The researchers wanted to know whether we also adjust our behavior accordingly. That gave a mixed picture. Although we saw a change in our behavior in 2022, this was not always the result of concern for the climate. Many Dutch people were also forced to dress more economically due to the high energy bill.
For example, we drive less cars than two years ago, the last time this survey was held. In 2020 we drove an average of about 12,300 kilometers per year with our car, this year we expect to drive about 2000 kilometers less. This is also because at the beginning of the year more people were working from home due to the corona measures. In addition, we showered for fewer minutes this year: from an average of 7.1 to 6.6 minutes per day. 14 percent prefer to buy second-hand clothing, compared to 9 percent in the previous survey.
less meat
“Our change in behavior can partly be explained by the energy crisis and that we are being more economical,” says researcher Nathalie Theelen. But not all changes are related to that. For example, we have started to eat less meat.” The number of vegetarians and vegans has not increased according to the research (4 percent of the Dutch), but the rest more often skip a day eating meat. 44 percent still eat meat every day, this was 49 percent in 2020.
According to the researchers, the motivation to be more frugal differs per age group. For example, especially young people up to the age of 34 more often behave ‘sustainably’ out of conviction. Older people are more likely to do it for financial reasons. A quarter of the Netherlands indicate in the survey that they have difficulty making ends meet due to the increased energy prices.
The researchers also looked at our flying behaviour. Although we have started flying less (from an average of 0.77 in 2020 to 0.43 times a year per Dutch person), according to the researchers, that also has to do with the corona time. However, more and more Dutch people are paying a little extra for their ticket to plant trees as compensation for CO2 emissions: 22 percent now do so. Theelen: “We don’t do this out of economy, but because we want to be more sustainable.”
Sustainable living? Jaap and Erica have been doing this for more than 40 years:
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