American children appear to be less environmentally conscious than their British peers, with only 43% expressing a desire for their first car to be electric, according to a survey of 1,000 kids aged 8-16. The poll revealed that American youngsters would rather drive an older, modifiable car, with 41% showing preference for fuel-intensive vehicles and displaying little concern for environmental conservation. In contrast, 17% of UK children expressed a preference for cycling once they reach driving age.
Furthermore, while 39% of British children believe that everyone will drive electric cars in the future, only 28% of American children share this sentiment. The study was commissioned by Nissan Motor Co, which produced a video featuring a group of children, dubbed 'The Department of Futures', visiting the company's headquarters to ensure progress towards electrification goals. Trisha Jung, senior director of EV strategy and transformation at Nissan, commented: "Electric vehicle adoption is happening at different rates around the world.
"Part of the issue we're seeing here may be to do with range anxiety - the US is, after all, a much bigger place to drive around than the UK, hence the differences in approval among children. "But as battery and range technology evolves - and it is happening at an incredible pace - we'll hopefully start to see a balancing out." Interestingly, the research found that British and American children are equally likely to currently live in a household .