Six in ten have considered making changes to their home

AT least 60% of people in Ireland have considered or have already taken measures in making their home more sustainable for the future, while one-fifth have put plans on hold due to the rising cost of living.

Key findings from the latest survey carried out by Royal London Ireland, in which 1,000 adults were canvassed as part of Royal London’s Changemaker’s Programme, also revealed that the next most popular move towards living sustainably lies in reducing dairy and meat consumption, with 50% of respondents either having done or citing plans to do this, followed by better home insulation through the replacement of windows (40%).

The Royal London Changemakers Programme helps social enterprises find innovative ways to build people’s financial resilience and to move fairly to a sustainable world.

The programme, which is in its second year, considers important social issues and the impact on people and communities.

Sarah Pennells, consumer finance specialist at Royal London commented on the findings:

“While approximately half of those surveyed have been considering changes they could make to live more sustainably, the cost-of-living crisis has proved a real hindrance to people’s plans, deterring many from putting their plans into action.

The survey also found that:

On average, more men (59pc) than women (40pc) said they would consider purchasing an electric vehicle for more sustainable living.

Those aged 55 and over were most likely to have already lowered their meat and dairy intake, with four in ten people from this age range saying they had done so.

Ms Pennells noted: “Whether for sustainability, health or personal reasons, people in their mid-50s and older were the largest group who stated they have already cut back on their meat and dairy consumption.

“By comparison, just three in ten of those aged between 18 and 34 say they’d cut back.

“We also saw a slight difference between the genders with 35pc of women planning to or already cutting down on meat and dairy compared to 32% of men.

“With the growing number of meat-free and dairy-free alternatives on the supermarket shelves, this trend could continue for some time.”