A vast majority of Portuguese participants in a study released today say they have a strong concern about the environmental impact of their choices as consumers, but that does not always translate into behavior.
The study, from the research unit “Observatório da Sociedade Portuguesa” (“Observatory of Portuguese Society”), at the Catholic University, indicates that almost 80% of respondents consider it important that the products they use do not harm the environment and 70% say they seek to buy environmentally responsible products.
According to the document, almost 83% of respondents said they are familiar with the Volta system (deposit-with-refund), but only 36.4% say they use it frequently or always and 35.5% say they do not use it.
The analysis of behaviors in the areas of sustainable consumption and the circular economy specifies that 60% of respondents acknowledge that environmental impact influences purchase decisions, with an even higher percentage saying they avoid products that could cause damage to the environment.
Regarding the Volta system, despite there being a contrast between knowledge and use, the researchers’ analysis finds a positive indicator, according to a press release about the study: there is a strong and statistically significant positive correlation between prior use of the Volta System and the intention to use it again in the future.
The approximately 1,000 participants in the study who have already used the system tend to show a greater intention to do so again.
Quoted in the press release, João Pedro Paz, researcher at the Catholic University and one of the study’s authors, stated that “the results show that there is a clear predisposition among the Portuguese respondents to incorporate environmental concerns into their consumer decisions. However, the existence of this concern does not, in itself, mean that sustainable behaviors are already consolidated.”
