A new survey has highlighted a generational divide in attitudes towards electric vehicles and climate action, with younger people in Ireland more likely to buy an EV and more willing to accept a lower standard of living to facilitate climate policies.

The KPMG consumer energy survey conducted by Red C found that 3 in 10 adults aged 18-34 are open to the idea of switching to an EV, compared to just 1 in 10 people over the age of 45.

The report found that concerns are growing around the cost of EVs, with 44% stating that they will ‘definitely’ not switch to an EV in the next five years – up from a third who weren’t open to the idea two years ago.

Some 57% of respondents cited cost as the primary reason for not wanting to switch, while other concerns expressed included driving range anxiety (7%), new technologies (5%), a lack of charge point infrastructure (4%) and cost savings (4%).

However, there was a glimmer of hope in the report, with 12% of those surveyed expressing a strong interest in switching to one of the three electric vehicle types by the end of the decade.

The research also looked at Irish attitudes towards climate action and renewable energy. Some 77% of respondents said that they supported renewable energy projects near their homes, and this figure jumps to 89% among 18 to 24-year-olds.

More than half of adults in Ireland (57%) would be unwilling to pay higher taxes to advance the transition to net-zero, but 45% of people are looking forward to potential new job opportunities.

Likewise, over 2 in 5 people are also open to investing money in home renewable energy to generate free electricity.

Younger people showed greater concern with the need for renewable energy, with 43% of people aged 18-24 saying they were willing to accept a lower standard of living during the energy transition and pay higher taxes to facilitate it.

In addition, almost half (49%) of the younger respondents said the government is the most important body for accelerating our transition to zero emissions.