78% of Spaniards will opt for a hybrid or an electric in their next purchase, according to the EIB

Pollution and climate change are gaining weight in the decision-making of citizens. Thus, among all the existing technologies in the offer of vehicles, the least polluting ones have more and more followers among buyers, although they are still few.

Overall, 78% of Spaniards will choose a hybrid vehicle (44%) or a 100% electric vehicle (34%) in their next purchase, while only 22% will opt for a petrol or diesel car.

This data is part of the second part of the European Investment Bank’s 2021-2022 climate survey, which analyses the individual behaviour of citizens and their views on climate change.

According to their data, 83% of Spaniards believe they do “everything they can” to fight climate change in their daily lives, but most believe that their compatriots “do not do the same”. In addition, the survey finds that almost three-quarters of the population (74%) already takes climate change into account when voting.

Precisely, one of the individual actions that can be exercised to combat climate change is to use less polluting transport or zero emissions. Or what 11% of respondents say: they neither have a vehicle nor do they have in mind to buy one.

Hybrids, preferred over electric

Spanish car buyers over the age of 65 are especially interested in buying a hybrid vehicle (49% of people over the age of 65 would choose a hybrid).

The same goes for young Spaniards (15-29 years old), who consider a hybrid vehicle to be the most favourable option (40%), followed by the choice of an electric car (35%) and that of a petrol or diesel vehicle (25%).

Spaniards are the most inclined towards hybrid vehicles, with 44% saying they will opt for that option in the next purchase, seven points below that of italians, but six points above the figure of the French (38%) and 15 points above the Germans (29%).

On the other hand, buyers of Spanish cars, 34% and Italians, 27%, find electric cars more attractive. Germans and French, with 23% seem to have “quite a few doubts” about choosing that type of car in their next purchase.

With these data, Spaniards seem to be more willing to switch to new automotive technologies than the French (61%) and Germans (52%), but to the same extent as Italians (78%).

Overall, European car buyers are leaning towards hybrid vehicles (39%), while petrol or diesel vehicles are second (33%) and electric vehicles are third (28% say they would buy an electric car).

Meanwhile, Chinese car buyers are the most inclined to buy an electric car (44%), Americans would opt first for a hybrid vehicle (38%), then for a gasoline or diesel vehicle (33%), and third for an electric car (29%).

Other practices beyond the car

Climate considerations also influence citizens’ purchasing decisions, with 33% of Spaniards saying they buy second-hand clothes instead of new clothes (nine points below the European average). Women are more likely to do so than men (39% for women versus 27% for men).

This practice is especially popular among young people aged 15 to 29 (53%), while the figure decreases by 39 points among people over 65 (14%).

When looking for work, climate change is taken into account by 46% and especially among people aged 15 to 29, since in that group, 65% of young people take climate change into account when looking for a job, compared to 47% of people aged 30 to 64 (18 points below).

Overall, 49% of Spaniards take climate change into account when choosing their bank or investing their savings. This figure is higher among Spaniards who are 15 to 29 years old (55%) and decreases with age (49% for people aged 30 to 64 and 43% for people over 65).

Air travel

Although 69% of Spaniards say they take climate change into account when choosing their holiday destination, that concern increases among those under 30, with 75% saying they take climate change into account when planning their holidays, compared to 67% of people aged 30 to 64 and 68% of people aged 65 and over.

However, the majority of young people (56%, compared to 38% of people aged 30 to 64 and 33% of people aged 65 and over) say they will use the plane for their summer holidays in 2022.

More than a quarter of young people (27%, compared to 16% of people aged 30 to 64 and 16% of people aged 65 and over) say they will travel by plane to a distant destination.

Source: The Economist