New research, conducted amongst more than 5000 adults and 2500 children aged 15 and under across Europe, reveals that 83% of young people believe their actions matter when it comes to protecting the planet and 71% believe they will play a central role in tackling climate change.  

As a rally cry, 48% are encouraging adults to make more sustainable choices once or more a week and 42% are calling on Government to take action to help the planet. Within this, accessibility and affordability are the main concerns for young people, with 61% calling for sustainable products to cost less and 42% asking for sustainable home heating to be cheaper. Young people are already taking the lead on driving climate action, with 80% of young people recycling, 56% actively turning off the lights and 47% using less water.

When exploring the motivation behind living more sustainably, a third (32%) of young people are most motivated by other young people, with only 5% citing adults as their main source of motivation. In fact, young people are stepping up as educators in their own lives, with 59% saying they can influence adults to make more planet friendly choices.

By contrast, 30% of European adults are feeling anxious about climate change, with a quarter (25%) expressing frustration at the lack of systemic action. This reality highlights a need for more support and clarity on the journey to a cleaner future. Looking forward, 56% of adults recognise that clean energy-tech solutions, such as solar panels (56%) and heat pumps (43%) will be commonplace in homes over the decade but cite cost (39%) as the main barrier to heat pump adoption.  

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Pamela Brown, Aira’s Consumer Expert, commented: “Children already believe in climate change, are eager to act, and want to influence their households to do so. While adults know about the solutions, too many still feel stuck. Despite the concern about cost, our data shows that nearly 40% of adults would be motivated to switch to a heat pump if they delivered lower long-term energy bills, exposing how many people are not yet aware that heat pumps already do exactly this – with Aira it’s up to 40%. Now is the time for change, with more education, inspiration and collective action. We owe it to young people – and ourselves – to create a cleaner future.”  

Mario Motta, professor at the Politecnico di Milano and expert in energy efficiency, adds: “Technology is already mature and environmental awareness is growing—especially among the younger generations—but without foundational knowledge and guidance, it risks going unused. That’s where schools, universities, businesses, and institutions must come together to ensure sustainability is not just an option for a well-informed few, but a widely accessible and mainstream choice. The data show that children often inspire virtuous behaviours at home: a crucial sign that environmental education must start early and actively involve children and youth. Heat pumps are one of the most practical solutions to decarbonise the residential sector, lower energy bills, and accelerate the move toward more efficient and sustainable homes. Still, a major effort in education and support is needed to close the gap between available technology and actual adoption.”

The findings form the basis of the Cleaner Future campaign, in which Aira has collaborated with sustainable artist, Emily Birch to visualise a cleaner future through the creative minds of young people. Emily guided children through a creative workshop to draw their own interpretations of a world without pollution, which was then used to create a hopeful image that represents a new era of eco-positivity and opportunity, driven by the generation of tomorrow.  

Gemma Bird, Aira ambassador and author, columnist and influencer ‘Money Mum’, added: “I’m so inspired by the creativity that the young people demonstrated during the workshop. They are super switched on and have ambitious ideas about creating a cleaner future. Seeing my own children participate in this campaign was an important reminder as to why talking openly about sustainability is so important. As a money expert, I’m always looking at ways to help people save money and while there is often a perception that living sustainably costs more, there are clean solutions, like heat pumps, that save people money on their bills too. Aira’s research shows that there’s work to be done to educate ourselves more and to match young people’s enthusiasm with action. It’s time to listen to the kids!”

In a bid to empower adults to support younger people’s growing curiosity, Aira today launches its own Cleaner Future Workbook. Inspired by the workshop and research results, which reveal two thirds (62%) of young people are already doing independent learning on climate change at least once a week, this workbook is designed to spark engaging conversations and curiosity.

Download the Cleaner Future Workbook (PDF, 1.5MB)