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How Romanians perceive A Better Tomorrow: A new IRES study highlights Romanian` sustainability behaviors

16 November 2023

Half of Romanian statistics population has recently heard about the idea of sustainability and 2 out of 3 Romanians say they are pro-sustainability. These conclusions highlight the fact that Romanians aim for socially responsible behaviours.
Family is the key influencer of sustainable behaviors, with more than 53% of those who consider themselves sustainable stating that they have been influenced in the adoption of responsible behaviors by their family.
Romanians associate sustainability with financial support, resource efficiency, durability, environmental protection, use of renewable resources, recycling and concern for the future.
BAT is building a Better Tomorrow™, where sustainability is front and centre of all activities.

Bucharest, November 16th, 2023 - 51% of Romanians have recently heard about the idea of sustainability, and 2 out of 3 of them say they are pro-sustainability, suggesting the desirability of this type of behaviour at social level. The family is the key factor influencing sustainable behaviour, with almost 3 out of 4 Romanians confirming the need for information in this regard. Respondents have indicated information, involvement, examples of good practice or the involvement of private companies as stimulating factors for pro-sustainable behaviors. These are the results of the latest IRES survey, "Romanians` Sustainability Behaviours ", conducted as part of the BAT Romania "Choose Responsibly for a Clean City" Campaign.

According to the survey, the most frequently highlighted sustainable behaviours include selective collection and recycling (98%), purchasing energy-efficient household electronics (97%), participating in greening, reforestation, stopping deforestation (96%), using biodegradable bags or recyclable packaging (95%), thermal insulation of homes (95%), reducing food waste (95%) or using LED light bulbs (94%).

Family is a key factor influencing sustainable behavior, with more than half (53%) of those who consider themselves sustainable declaring that they were influenced in their adoption by their families. Also, the factors that Romanians consider as stimulating pro-sustainable behavior are information, involvement, examples of good practice or the involvement of private companies. The need for information on sustainability is confirmed by almost 3 out of 4 Romanians.

"A Better Tomorrow starts with each of us and with every action we take as individuals. We are pleased that through this survey we are providing an important information benchmark, as indicated by the respondents, to encourage responsible behavior at a societal level. Sustainability is front and center of BAT's business and, together with a very clear group strategy and specific targets, we believe in concrete actions and good practice examples that can make a real contribution to A Better Tomorrow for the generations to come", said Ileana Dumitru, Legal and External Affairs Director, Southern and Eastern Europe Area at BAT.

"We are happy to be with along with BAT in this effort to understand and support the idea of sustainability in Romania. Although apparently an imported concept, operationalised, quantified and measured sustainability is found in the Romanian mentality either under the influence of pre-1989 traditions for generation X, or in the form of attitudes formed or transmitted under the influence of family, social networks and television for generations Y and Z. One of the key findings of the study is that sustainability is a socially accepted concept, with a synthetic role in providing attitudinal guidance and shaping proactive behaviours around selective collection and recycling, low energy consumption, environmental care and concern for the future. It is also worth highlighting here Romanians` expectation regarding the involvement and best practices of private companies on sustainability", highlighted Dan Jurcan, sociologist, IRES research director.

In its 3 entities in Romania, BAT continuously organises wide-ranging activities aimed at protecting and raising awareness in regards to reducing resource consumption or donating for recycling and reuse activities. BAT continuously organises selective collection campaigns in Romania for older versions of its electronic devices, in over 360 collection points across the country and the company's local team participated in the planting of over 2,000 trees in 2023 alone. At the same time, BAT factory in Ploiesti received the AWS (Alliance for Water Stewardship) certification last year, confirming the company's commitment to protecting water resources.

According to the IRES survey, 54% of Romanians say that in their household, adults are most concerned about saving electricity, water, selective collection or other sustainable actions.

Sustainability is associated with financial sustainability, resource efficiency, durability, environmental protection, use of renewable resources, recycling and concern for the future. Asked to define the concept, most respondents mentioned "financial support for an idea or project" (18%), and 15% said sustainability refers to resource efficiency, conservation of resources; continuity or durability (11%), financial responsibility (7%) or activities that benefit the environment and humanity (6%).

The main sources of information on sustainable action are television (6 out of 10 respondents), websites (about half of respondents), social media (3 out of 10 respondents), and radio (almost a fifth of respondents).

The study was conducted by IRES as part of the BAT Romania - Choose Responsibly for a Clean City campaign and its findings are based on the perceptions of a representative sample of 1.101 adult respondents. The survey was conducted by IRES between 28 July and 4 August 2023 and the research team used the CATI (computer-assisted telephone interviewing) collection method.