Romanians Rank Last In EU By Willingness To Compromise On Cars To Protect Environment

Nearly 29% of the Romanians interviewed said walking was their main means of transport, slightly behind Bulgarians (30.1%), while 30.3% said they use a car, 26.5% – public transport, and 5.2% – cycling, according to a Eurobarometer study.

Motorbikes are used by 0.5% of Romanians, while 1.5% use other means of transport.

„Cyprus stood out from the pack with 91% of respondents who said they used a car or motorbike as their main means of transport for getting around on a daily basis. In France, Ireland and Slovenia, roughly two-thirds of respondents mentioned motorised individual transport (66%-69%),” says a report on the study.

Romania placed at the bottom of this ranking, as only 31% of survey participants said they use a car or motorbike for daily transport. Latvia and Hungary, both with 29% ranked even lower.

As regards what they would do to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and protect the environment, Romanians and Latvians were the least likely EU citizens to compromise on a car’s speed. Almost half (48%) said such a compromise was likely or very likely, 6% said it was not likely and 11% said it was not likely at all. The share of Romanians who were unable or unwilling to answer this question was the highest in the EU – 35%. The most open to compromising on a car’s speed are Cypriotes (87%), while the European average is 68%.

The share of Romanians who said they would compromise on a car’s size was 43%, also at the bottom of the EU ranking, behind the Netherlands (46%) and Slovakia (48%). Some 9% find such a compromise not likely and 10% find it not likely at all. The remaining 38% said they „did not know,” again the highest share among member states. Greeks (80%) and Cypriotes (79%) are the most open to compromising on a car’s size, above the EU average of 62%.

Romanians and Lithuanians are the least likely to compromise on a car’s range, as only 38% of Romanians would accept a shorter traveled distance before needing to refuel. Such a compromise is not likely for 12% and not likely at all for 9%. Yet again, Romanians gave the largest share of „don’t know” answers to this question (42%). „In Cyprus, 75% of respondents said that they would be likely to buy a car that needed refueling or recharging more frequently if this would help reduce emissions,” says the report.

The car’s purchase price is important to Romanian respondents, as only 43% said they would be willing to compromise on the cost, in order to reduce emissions (25th place). Respondents in Cyprus (74%) and Luxembourg (68%) gave the most „likely” and „very likely” answers, while the European average is 53%.

The survey also examined the European citizens’ opinions on „replacing existing car charges, such as initial registration cost and circulation taxes, with new charging schemes that would take into account the actual use of a car, such as the kilometers/miles driven or its use during peak hours – typically known as ‘pay-as-you-drive.'” This change would find support among only 36% of Romanians (24th place). Some 26% of Romanians oppose changing the tax system (half of them strongly). The remaining 34%, the highest share in the EU, could not answer. Citizens in Luxembourg (71%) and Italy (68%) were the most open, while the EU average is 50%.

The survey was conducted between October 15 and 19, 2010 and comprises the answers of 25,570 European citizens, including 1,002 Romanians (3.9%). In Romania, the interviews were carried out by the Gallup survey institute.