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Press Release
African youth say climate change is the world’s most pressing
challenge in the next decade
18-25-year-olds across sub-Saharan Africa demand governments increase investment in
renewable energy to make it more effective and widely available
Marrakech, Morocco, November 16, 2016 – Eighteen to 25-year-olds in South Africa, Kenya
and Nigeria say that climate change and the environment will be the world’s biggest challenge
over the next 10 years, according to research by Masdar, the Abu Dhabi Future Energy
Company.
Climate change ranked alongside unemployment, the economy and the threat of terrorism as
the top concerns for African youth over the next decade, and it was rated above quality of
education, public health, and crime and law & order in terms of importance today.
Unveiled at the UN climate summit COP22 in Morocco, the ‘Masdar Gen Z Global
Sustainability Survey’ is the first global survey of the attitudes of young people aged 18-25 –
the demographic cohort known as ‘Generation Z’ – towards climate change, sustainable
development and renewable energy.
The landmark survey questioned nearly 5,000* young people in 20 countries across the
Middle East & North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, the Americas, Europe and Asia. Countries
were also classified according to their economic development as either developed, emerging
or frontier.
Its findings show that 93% of youth in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria either ‘strongly agree’
or ‘somewhat agree’ that governments need to listen more to young people on sustainability
issues. In addition, nearly half (41%) of young Africans think that their generation is
responsible for finding solutions for a sustainable future.
While just over a quarter (28%) of respondents in the region view climate change and the
environment as one of the most important global challenges today, compared to a third (32%)
globally, four in five (78%) young Africans are ready to tackle the issue through a career in
sustainability – a statistic that is considerately higher than the global average (59%).
Almost all African youth (95%) overwhelmingly believe that governments should increase
investments in renewable energy, also higher than the global average (84%). Meanwhile, nine
in 10 believe that business and governments share equal responsibility for developing
sustainable solutions. More than half (58%) see the cost of new technology as the top barrier
to investment in renewable energy.
While young Africans expect political leaders and businesses to do more on renewable
energy, they say NGOs, the UN and scientific and education institutions are currently making
the most efforts in sustainability.
African youth are also actively engaged in the discussion around climate change, with 67%
saying they discuss environmental issues with their peers, and 36% share information about
environmental issues online.
Commenting on the global survey, Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer of
Masdar, said: “Over the last decade, the clean energy industry has been transformed into one
of the world’s most exciting and dynamic growth markets. As we look towards the next 10
years, the findings of our global survey provide a valuable insight into the opinions of the postmillennial generation about the world’s key sustainability and energy-related challenges, and
the action required to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy and clean technologies.”
The Masdar Gen Z Global Sustainability Survey interviewed 250 respondents in South Africa
and 200 each in Nigeria and Kenya.
The study reveals that while African youth are concerned about the environment, they are
also confident that collective action can help overcome future sustainability challenges.
While nearly half (46%) of respondents in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya are confident that
their countries have been getting ‘greener’, they would like to see more done to prioritise the
adoption of renewables. Solar energy is seen as the preferred future energy source in Nigeria
(80%), ahead of South Africa (68%) and Kenya (66%), while wind energy is preferred in South
Africa (52%) and Kenya (51%), compared to 28% in Nigeria.
Overall, the Masdar Gen Z survey found that young people value the environment over
financial gain, and believe public pressure and good education will further boost the adoption
of clean technology.
“Masdar was a catalyst for the adoption of renewable energy in the Arab world, a region
where around a third of the population is between the ages of 15 and 29,” added Al Ramahi.
“Today’s youth are the policymakers, industry leaders, technical experts and consumers of
tomorrow – an audience with whom we and the wider energy and sustainability community
must engage to realise a more sustainable future.”
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MASDAR GEN Z SUSTAINABILITY SURVEY: TOP 10 FINDINGS FOR SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
1. There is a growing awareness of climate risks across sub-Saharan Africa
African youth think that unemployment is the world’s biggest challenge today, followed by
poverty/inequality, the economy and the threat of terrorism. But awareness of the threat of
climate change and environmental risks is growing. Over a quarter see climate change and
the environment as one of the world’s most important challenges now, but 41% see the issue
as its biggest challenge in the next decade.
2. African youth believe they should take the lead in creating a more sustainable world
Young people in sub-Saharan Africa believe that their generation and the generation above
them (aged 26-35) have the greatest responsibility to find solutions to sustainability issues.
There was also a broad consensus that governments need to listen more to young people on
sustainability.
3. Young people want a career in green energy and environmental protection
Most African youth are so committed to the environment that they want to use their career
to help it, Masdar’s survey found. When asked about future careers in sustainability, more
interest was shown in Nigeria and Kenya at around four in five, substantially higher than the
global average. In South Africa, the number is still considerably higher than the global average,
with two in three young people saying that they were interested.
4. Governments need to spend more on renewable energy
African youth agree that governments need to be more innovative about environmental
protection and spend more on renewable energy and environmental projects. In South Africa,
Nigeria and Kenya, nine in ten young people want business and government to work more
closely, and share equal responsibility for developing clean technology and renewables.
5. African youth are increasingly environmentally active
Respondents in Africa mostly recycle and reduce energy consumption to conserve the
environment. Young people in sub-Saharan Africa are also eager to enter into the dialogue on
environmental issues. Over two thirds of African respondents say they have discussed
environmental issues with friends and family over the last 12 months, while over a third have
shared information about environmental issues online. Interestingly, nine in 10 youth (89%)
say they have done at least one environmentally responsible activity over the past year,
compared with 73% of young people in the developed countries surveyed.
6. Lack of infrastructure and support from business and finance are the top personal
barriers to adopting more environmentally responsible behaviour
While African youth would like to do more for the environment, nearly half say they are
hindered by the lack of proper infrastructure (45%), and a third (35%) say they do not receive
enough support from business and finance. Unsurprisingly, a lack of infrastructure, e.g. to
encouraging recycling, is seen as a much bigger problem in sub-Saharan Africa than in the rest
of the world.
7. NGOs currently leading efforts in sustainability
Around two-thirds of youth across South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya believe that NGOs are
currently doing the most on sustainable energy consumption, while only one in 10 young
Africans (8%) think political leaders from developing countries are currently doing the most.
Young people in Nigeria and Kenya expect the general public to take the lead on the adoption
of clean energy, while South African youth believe big business should take the initiative.
8. Young people in Africa trust family, schools and charities to act more sustainably
Young people in sub-Saharan Africa have the most trust in their families, schools/educational
institutions and charities to behave sustainably, according to the study. National governments
are the least trusted.
9. Cost of technology biggest barrier to investment
Over half of young Africans (58%) are concerned that the cost of new or improved technology
is holding back investment in renewable energy and clean technology. They also believe that
the difficulty in trying to convince people of the value of sustainability and the lack of political
leadership adversely affect investment in the sector.
10. Solar is the favoured energy source
Solar is the preferred source of renewable energy among seven in 10 African youth, while
wind is the second preference (44%). The favourability of solar power is higher than the global
average (63%). Preferences for future energy sources also vary. Kenyans are much more likely
to prioritise geothermal energy, for example, than young South Africans and Nigerians (47%
compared with 13% and 8%, respectively). Wave power is also twice as popular in South Africa
(28%) than in Nigeria (13%) and Kenya (5%).
-Ends-
Survey Methodology*
The ‘Masdar Gen Z Global Sustainability Survey’ was done by international polling firm Penn Schoen Berland
(PSB). It analysed what members of the post-millennial cohort (those aged between 18 and 25) worldwide think
about the environment, climate change, sustainability and renewable energy.
PSB conducted 4,704 online interviews between March 4 and March 29, 2016 in 20 countries: three in the
Americas (US, Mexico and Brazil), four in Europe (UK, France, Germany and Spain), three in sub-Saharan Africa
(Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa), five in the Middle East & North Africa (Morocco, Egypt, UAE, Saudi Arabia and
Jordan), and five in Eurasia (Russia, China, India, South Korea, Japan).
The findings were also analysed according to the economic development of the participating countries, with
countries classified as either ‘Developed’ (Germany, France, Spain, UK, US and Japan), ‘Emerging’ (Brazil, China,
Egypt, India, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, South Africa, UAE, Morocco) or ‘Frontier’ (Jordan, Kenya,
Nigeria).
Youth respondents were interviewed about subjects including climate change; awareness of and responsibility
for environmental issues; their own personal actions on the environment; renewable energy; education and
sustainability; and the development of clean technology including wind and solar power.
PSB conducted between 100 and 300 interviews per country depending on the level of internet penetration. The
survey’s margin of error is +/-1.43% for the total sample, with sub-groups having a larger margin of error.
For more information and the full survey results, visit www.masdar.ae/GenZSurvey.
About Masdar
Masdar is Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company which works to advance the development, commercialisation
and deployment of clean energy technologies and solutions. The company serves as a link between today’s fossil
fuel economy and the energy economy of the future. Wholly owned by the Mubadala Development Company
PJSC, the strategic investment company of the Government of Abu Dhabi, Masdar is dedicated to the United
Arab Emirates’ long-term vision for the future of energy and water.
Contacts:
E-mail: [email protected]
Tel enquiries in Arabic: +971 2 653 3333
Tel enquiries in English: +971 2 653 6014
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