British youngsters extra eco-conscious than US – and wish extra electrical vehicles

A survey of 1,000 young guns aged between 8 and 16 has revealed that British kids are more eco-savvy than their American mates.

A whopping 47% of UK kiddos are dreaming of driving around in an electric vehicle for their first ride, 41% of the Yank youngsters are hankering after a petrol-powered motor.

What’s more, once these British kids hit the driving age, a hefty 17% would rather pedal a bike instead. And when it comes to what the future holds for cars, 39% of the UK’s little ones reckon a time will come when ‘everyone’ is behind the wheel of an EV, as opposed to just 28% across the pond.

The research was put together by Nissan Motor Co, who also created a video featuring a bunch of kids, dubbed The Department of Futures, who popped over to Nissan’s HQ to snoop on how they’re getting on with their electrification goals.

Trisha Jung, Nissan’s EV strategy and big boss of transformation projects, chimed in with her two cents on why the children have such different views on the future of electric motors:

“Electric vehicle adoption is happening at different rates around the world. Part of the issue we’re seeing here may be to do with range anxiety.”

“The US, after all, is a much bigger place to drive around than the UK, hence the differences in approval among children. But as battery and range technology evolves – and it is happening at an incredible pace – we’ll hopefully start to see a balancing out.”

The study showed that 15% of kids in both the UK and US are already living in homes with an electric vehicle, and nearly half (48%) of British kids are keen for their folks to get one too but only 34% of American kids feel the same.

When it comes to laying down the law, the majority (54%) of British youngsters would make electric cars compulsory if they were in charge, compared to 41% of their American counterparts.

Interestingly, it also shows that British kids are ahead of the game in eco-friendly habits like recycling, using reusable bags, and turning off unused plugs. But, they’re a bit more puzzled about what being green really means than American kids (48% vs 40%).

Across the pond, American children are more into thrifting, looking out for eco-friendly products, and nudging their mates towards greener choices. Plus, a greater slice of American kiddos reckon their eco efforts can genuinely help Mother Earth (63% vs 48% in the UK).

Commenting on the findings, Jung said: “The UK and the US have always had a ‘special relationship’, and it’s interesting to compare the next generation’s views on going green. The positive is that children from both sides of the pond seem engaged and invested in helping the planet in years to come.”

“And while it seems the UK is pulling ahead in terms of green actions, hopefully in the near future, other countries will join in and work harder to protect our planet together.”