A poll conducted by Environmental Defense (formerly EDF) finds that a majority of baby boomers and the “Internet generation” interviewed have participated in an Earth Day event (Internet-62%; Boomers-54%), and believe these events have raised their awareness of environmental issues (I-69%; B- 64%).
When asked if environmental conditions are better or worse today than on the first Earth Day 30 years ago, 62% of the 500, 18-25 year-olds view conditions as worse today; 29 percent said they are better. From the 500, 45-55 year-olds polled, 52 percent see things as worse and 45 percent see them as better. Both groups believe – by wide margins – that water and air quality continue to worsen.
How can we solve environmental problems? The majority of both groups (87% Internet Generation; 88% Boomers) point to individual action and public education as the most effective approaches. While only a third in each group has searched the internet for environmental information, the majority believes that it will have a positive effect on the environment (I-positive 60%/negative 9%; B- positive 55%/negative 5%).
Fred Krupp, executive director of Environmental Defense, expressed surprise by the results: “We undertook this effort expecting to find significant differences between the generations and while they exist, we were struck more by the similarities. A clear challenge for the next 30 years is finding the ways to engage these individuals on behalf of the planet.”
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