Employers' climate impact as a result of their economic activities is an important factor for young Bulgarians in their job search. 83% of Bulgarians aged 20-29 say the climate impact of prospective employers is an important factor when job hunting, and 31% say it is even a top priority, shows data from the latest annual Climate Survey of the European Investment Bank (EIB), conducted in August 2022 and published on Tuesday. According to the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), the majority of Bulgarian respondents (56%, 16 percentage points below the EU average) say they are convinced that their own behaviour can make a difference in addressing the climate emergency. Women (61%) and young respondents under 30 (66%) are the most convinced that their individual behaviour can have an impact, compared to men (51%) and people over 65 (42%). For many, the government has a role to play in encouraging individual behavioural change. A majority of Bulgarians (69%) are in favour of stricter government measures imposing a change in people's behaviour to tackle climate change (75% of respondents under 30 would welcome such measures). To help people make more sustainable choices when grocery shopping, 77% of Bulgarians are in favour of labelling all food products with their climate footprint. This is halfway between the rate in Romania (82%) and the rate in Hungary (72%). In addition, 71% of Bulgarians say they would be willing to pay slightly more for food that is produced locally and more sustainably (the same rate as in Romania, but 19 percentage points above Hungary's 52%). A majority of respondents, irrespective of income, voiced a willingness to pay more for food (ranging from 68% of middle-income respondents to 75% of higher-income respondents). Reducing the consumption of meat and dairy products would be another efficient way to limit greenhouse gas emissions. But few Bulgarians (39%) would be in favour of limiting the amount of meat and dairy products that people can buy to fight climate change (13 percentage points less than Romanians, with 52%, but a similar share to Hungarians, with 38%).
