http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3879536,00.html

Environmental Protection Ministry survey suggests 95% of Israelis have high environmental awareness

Ynet
Published: 05.02.10, 07:48 / Israel Activism

The vast majority of the Israeli public is concerned with environmental issues, according to a survey issued by the Environmental Protection Ministry and published recently in honor of Israel’s Earth Hour.

According to the poll, 98% of Israelis said they practice environmental guidlines, such as recycling, while 95% noted they regard green issues as important.
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The survey further indicated that 93% of the public are ready to separate domestic waste and maintain that children prevent households from adopting more environmental-friendly patterns.

The poll, which randomly sampled 500 men and women over the age of 18, was conducted in order to examine the public’s attitude towards environmental issue and its degree of involvement in protecting the environment.

Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan commented on the poll’s findings: “The results show that the public expects a suitable infrastructure enabling it to take on a more active role in improving the state of the environment.

“It has been proven that the younger generation which influences the family’s patterns, wants to live in cleaner surroundings. It is important that decision makers review the public’s will on Earth Day and change their habits in order to achieve joint success in promoting the green revolution in Israel.”

According to the survey, the prime manifestation of Israelis’ environmental activism was the recycling of bottles. Asked what they did for the environment, 42% answered they recycled bottles, 38% responded they maintained cleanliness and 27% noted they recycled paper.

Some 91% of respondents said they have a medium-high preference for environmental-friendly products.

The 65% who noted they did not purchase “green” products explained this by the products’ high prices, whereas 30% stated “green” products weren’t labeled correctly and 10% noted they did not believe the environmentally-friendly assertion.

A mere 7% noted they were not concerned with the issue.