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Most Canadians Unwilling to Cut Driving by 50%
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in Canada say they will implement changes in the way they use electricity at home, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 57 per cent of respondents will definitely use energy efficient light bulbs in their homes over the next year.
In addition, 40 per cent of respondents say they would spend less than five minutes in the shower and refrain from taking baths. Canadians were more reticent to embrace two proposals that deal with transportation. Only 19 per cent of respondents would definitely cut their driving in half, and just 17 per cent are certain to take public transit every day.
The term global warming refers to an increase of the Earth's average temperature. Some theories say that climate change might be the result of human-generated carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
In February, Australian prime minister John Howard introduced a proposal which seeks to phase-out regular light bulbs in favour of energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs by 2009. Ontario environment minister Laurel Broten acknowledged that the Canadian province is considering a similar provision, saying, "There are a lot of great ideas out there and that's one of them. Everything is on the table."
Earlier this month, the Nunavut government announced it would introduce legislation to ban the sale and purchase of regular light bulbs. Nunavut energy minister Ed Picco declared: "There is an opportunity for us to try to be on the leading edge, as it were, to reduce greenhouse gases through the elimination of incandescent bulbs, and we believe that we can do that."
Polling Data
What will you definitely do and what might you do in the next year in regards to the following:
Definitely | Might do | Would not | Would | |
Replace all light bulbs | 57% | 34% | 7% | 2% |
Spend less than 5 | 40% | 24% | 16% | 19% |
Cut driving in half | 19% | 29% | 33% | 20% |
Take public transit | 17% | 11% | 26% | 45% |
Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 3,698 Canadian adults, conducted from Mar. 6 to Mar. 19, 2007. Margin of error is 1.6 per cent.
