Almost 9 out of 10 Lithuanians say environmental problems directly affect their daily lives

In an overwhelming consensus, 95 percent of the 28.000 interviewed citizens said that protecting the environment was important to them personally and many thought more could be done in this area, the European Commission said.

A strong majority of people share the view that the efficient use of natural resources (79 percent in the EU and 76 percent in Lithuania) and the protection of the environment (74 pct EU, 68 pct Lithuania) can boost economic growth.

While 80 percent (85 pct Lithuanians) consider that the economy influences their quality of life, 75 percent (80 pct in Lithuania) think the state of the environment has a similar impact and 77 percent of EU citizens (86 pct of Lithuanians) believe that environmental problems have a direct effect on their daily lives. They worry most about pollution – air (56 pct EU, 64 pct Lithuania) and water pollution (50 pct EU, 53 pct Lithuania) ranking highest – as well as waste generation and the depletion of natural resources.

85 percent of Europeans (83 pct Lithuanians) believe they have a role to play in protecting the environment. Most are adopting environmentally-friendly actions and behaviour. Separation of waste for recycling (72 pct EU, 62 pct Lithuania), cutting down energy consumption (52 pct EU, 35 pct Lithuania) and cutting down water consumption (37 pct EU, 21 pct Lithuania) were the three most common activities. While more citizens feel well informed about the environment in general, 39 percent of EU citizens (48 pct Lithuanians) feel they lack information about the health impact of chemicals used in everyday products.