Scottish Government

ISBN 0 7559 2802 4 (Web only publication)

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Campaign overview

• The Scottish Executive first launched an environment campaign in September 2001. This research follows the fourth campaign phase that ran in February/March 2004. The 2004 advertising used press and outdoor posters but, unlike the first three waves of the campaign, did not have a TV presence.
• The press and outdoor posters displayed four executions - 'Blue Bag' and 'Bottle Bank' (which encouraged people to reuse and recycle) and 'Kettle' and 'Thermostat' (which gave an energy-saving message). This post-campaign research evaluated their effectiveness in meeting the campaign aim: to encourage people to be more responsible and environmentally conscious in their lifestyles.

Highlights

• Research demonstrated a drop in awareness of the advertising/publicity (from 42% in Wave 3, to 29% in Wave 4). This may be attributed to the lack of TV in Wave 4, as TV has the widest reach of any medium.
• There has been a year-on-year increase in the percentage of respondents who regard environmental issues as very important, with Wave 4 showing the highest level recorded in the attitudes surveys over the three years (41%, compared to 38% in Wave 3, 36% in Wave 2 and 29% in Wave 1). This suggests that there has been a hardening of attitudes over the years of the campaign.
• More people claimed to recycle at this latest wave (78%), compared to previous waves (71% Wave 3, 66% Wave 2, 63% Wave 1). This could be attributed to better provision of recycling facilities; at this wave more respondents claimed to have recycling facilities nearby (74%, versus 71% at Wave 3).
• Respondents were less likely to agree or agree strongly with the statement that they "cannot do anything personally to help the environment" (30% in Wave 4, 33% in Wave 3), and less likely to agree that industry is mainly to blame for environmental damage (43% in Wave 4, compared with 45% in Wave 3) than previously.
• Conversely, fewer people agreed that they should do more to protect the environment (71% of respondents agreeing or agreeing strongly in Wave 4, compared to 77% in Wave 3). This could be linked to the fact that more people are making environmentally friendly choices (see Implications).
• A higher proportion of people agreed with the statement 'I never really think about the effect my own lifestyle is having on the environment' (15% agreeing strongly compared to 11% in Wave 3).

Implications

• The research shows that, in general, a greater percentage of respondents are making environmentally-conscious changes to their lifestyles, and taking personal responsibility for the environment through recycling and other means.
• However, the research indicates that, whilst respondents are making more environmentally-friendly choices, they are, perhaps, unaware of the impact these choices have on the wider picture. By putting the actions of recycling, energy conservation and pollution management into context in terms of how these choices impact on Scotland's environmental future we might be able to motivate people in Scotland to take make further changes to their lifestyles.
• In line with these findings, future campaigns should consider communicating 'the bigger picture'.