In a City with aggressive climate goals, educated people, and above-average means, residents have been slow to take meaningful actions such as insulating their homes, and moving away from fossil fuels through the adoption of heat pump technology, solar panels, and electric vehicles. Why is the adoption of climate-friendly actions so low…and how can residents be swayed? To address these questions, three Newton residents decided to actively engage their fellow Newton residents to better understand:
• perceptions about climate change;
• favored communication channels;
• actions taken to date; and
• barriers to taking further action.
They also wanted to know what residents thought about the City’s activities. With the support of the Newton Citizen’s Commission on Energy, the “Newton Climate Change Listening Project” was launched in March 2022. An initial online survey drew 183 participants, from which 14 were selected for more detailed facilitated listening sessions in May.
The results of the survey and listening sessions were presented to the Mayor on May 31. Included below is the slide deck as presented to the Mayor, with appendices that further detail the methodology. You can also watch a video presentation of the survey results.
Survey Results final with appendix
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