Income differences in high-carbon activities, climate perceptions and behavioral willingness: an exploratory analysis of a UK survey

Introduction Radical actions across all sectors of the economy are necessary to meet stringent carbon emission reduction targets, which requires the widespread adoption of low-carbon technologies as well as significant lifestyle changes. However, carbon emissions are not evenly distributed across households—both globally and within countries—indicating that different income groups have unequal responsibilities for reducing emissions. Policy directed at higher-income households therefore rests on untested assumption that those who contribute more feel more responsible and are more ready to act given their greater resources. Method As an initial step, this exploratory study uses secondary data from a survey conducted in October and November 2023 in the UK, which oversampled higher-income respondents, to examining income-based differences in activities associated with high-carbon consumption, climate perceptions, and willingness to engage in pro-environmental behaviors. Results Results show that higher-income groups are more likely to engage in activities associated with high-carbon consumption, as indicated by their flying, car ownership, and recent purchases of household items. However, income groups in the UK do not differ significantly in their climate perceptions, including concern about climate change, feelings of guilt, or a sense of personal responsibility to take climate action. Higher-income groups also show less willingness to reduce those activities, most clearly for flying, with weaker evidence for car use and home heating. Additionally, there is little evidence that higher-income groups are more likely to adopt low-carbon technologies, such as electric vehicles or low-carbon heating systems. Discussion The results show the challenges of encouraging meaningful behavior change among those who contribute most to emissions. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.