Finnish motorists’ eagerness to spare a thought for the environment has waned in the course of the recession.
This is the finding of a poll commissioned by the Finnish Vehicle Administration AKE and conducted by TNS Gallup.
Last year roughly 13 per cent of the respondents appreciated low emission rates and environmental friendliness when choosing a car.
Now the corresponding percentage is seven.
A third of the respondents say that environmental values do not play any role in their car purchase decisions. The most important selection criterion is the price.
Twenty-nine per cent of those interviewed would not switch to using public transportation at any cost. Last year a considerably smaller percentage of the respondents, 18 per cent in all, took a negative stand towards making use of trams, trains, and buses.
More than a third of the respondents are now prepared to pay vehicle tax even in excess of EUR 500 per year rather than consider giving up private motoring.
Two thousand Finns between the ages of 18 and 65 took part in the study, which was carried out as a online survey.
