IKEA Climate Action Research 2021: Enabling People to Live a More Sustainable Life at Home

IKEA is taking action to become climate positive by 2030, reducing more greenhouse gas emissions than the IKEA value chain emits, while growing the business.

According to new climate action research conducted by GlobeScan for Ingka Group, the main IKEA retailer, 7 out of 10 people are worried about climate change, and 9 out of 10 people are willing to take individual action. The research was conducted across 32 countries in 2021, asking over 34,000 people about how they think, feel and act in relation to climate change. Despite the extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic, that has affected everyone, everywhere, people’s concern about climate change remains high.

87% are willing to take action to tackle climate change. But there is a gap between people’s willingness to act, their level of worry and the amount of action they are taking. 70% of people worry about climate change but only 39% say they take “a fair amount” or “a lot” of action in their everyday lives.

The gap between worry and action is greatest in young people aged 18-24 years – they are more worried than average but as with other age groups, they still struggle to take action.

While 8 out of 10 people believe that each individual can help address climate change, there are 5 persistent barriers that are stopping them: Not enough support from government, Not enough support from business, Too expensive, I don’t know what to do, Other people not doing enough.

Three quarters of people would like to see significant action from businesses and governments. People recognize that systemic change is needed alongside individual action to make a meaningful difference and are looking to businesses and governments for more leadership.

People expect governments to:

  • 83% of people agree that governments should give more financial support for renewable energy production.
  • 57% of people support a tax on oil, gas and coal to help fight climate change.
  • Over two thirds (68%) say they would like to vote in elections for candidates who are committed to reducing climate change.

Explore the infographic:

IKEA Climate Action Research 2021
IKEA Climate Action Research 2021