SOS Children's Villages commissioned a survey on the biggest worries children and young people have about their future. Even during the coronavirus crisis, climate change remains their greatest fear.

According to the study, which surveyed children and young people aged between eleven and 18, 85 per cent are worried about the planet. Environmental pollution and climate change were the two most frequently mentioned concerns, regardless of gender, age, level of education or place of residence. "Young people are facing enormous uncertainty because of coronavirus — not just in terms of health, but also in the job market, in their education and in their social lives. It's all the more remarkable, then, that coronavirus hasn't pushed the fear of the climate crisis aside," said Christian Moser, Managing Director of SOS Children's Villages, on Tuesday at a press briefing in Vienna.

Worries about poor air quality and disappearing forests

400 children and young people aged between eleven and 18 were surveyed across Austria in July and August 2020. According to the survey, conducted by the Institute for Youth Culture Research, 59 per cent are concerned that pandemics could become more frequent in the future. However, 78 per cent are most worried about environmental pollution, followed by climate change at 75 per cent.

Read the full article at: wien.orf.at