8 out of 10 Gwangju Citizens Willing to Participate in Energy Saving Policies

Gwangju City Council Announces Results of Public Opinion Survey on 'Carbon Emission Reduction Policy'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] Eight out of ten citizens of Gwangju Metropolitan City expressed willingness to participate in various policies such as promoting energy-saving practices, resource recycling, and encouraging the use of public transportation and bicycles to achieve the "2045 Carbon Neutral Energy Self-Reliant City."

The Gwangju Metropolitan Council (Chairman Kim Yongjip) announced the results of a public opinion survey on carbon emission reduction policies on the 1st.

The survey covered ▲ awareness of the main causes of greenhouse gas emissions ▲ whether energy-saving practices to suppress carbon emissions are being implemented ▲ agreement on policies to expand the production and supply of renewable energy ▲ intention to purchase eco-friendly vehicles, among others.

According to the survey results, citizens identified the main causes of greenhouse gas emissions as the use of fossil energy (30.2%), an industrial structure that consumes a lot of energy (27.4%), and transportation using petroleum fuels (25.8%). It was found that 71.2% of citizens are practicing energy-saving to suppress carbon emissions, indicating a relatively accurate awareness of greenhouse gas emissions and responsibility.

Regarding the expansion of renewable energy production and supply to reduce carbon emissions, 91.4% agreed, and 92.4% responded positively about their intention to purchase eco-friendly vehicles.

To promote eco-friendly vehicles, respondents indicated the need for subsidies (30%), infrastructure development such as charging stations (28.2%), and price reductions (27.8%).

The willingness to walk or use public transportation and bicycles instead of private cars was very high at 89.8%. To revitalize public transportation, the survey showed priorities as expanding various routes and increasing frequency (52.2%), fare reductions (16.6%), improving accessibility to stops (16.6%), and road system improvements such as expanding dedicated lanes (13.2%).

In particular, 71% supported the so-called "road diet," which reduces existing roads to create bicycle or pedestrian paths, and 66.2% responded positively to policies that reduce the width of roads with three or more lanes in one direction to operate bicycle-only lanes.

Finally, 78.4% of citizens supported the government's nuclear phase-out policy.

This survey was conducted by the professional polling agency Poll Insight from October 1 to October 31, targeting 500 men and women aged 19 or older residing in Gwangju City (with a 95% confidence level and a sampling error of ±4.21 percentage points).

Kim Gwangran, Chairperson of the Green New Deal Special Committee, said, "We plan to do our best to effectively reflect the valuable opinions gathered from citizens in policies related to Gwangju City's carbon neutrality," adding, "We will share the results of this survey with the executive branch and closely monitor future policy implementation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.