The research conducted jointly by Habbo, the world's largest
virtual world for teens, and Greenpeace International examined the
attitudes and behaviour of the global teen population towards
environmental issues and gave teens a chance to speak out on the
most pressing problem facing the world.
Governments come under scrutiny in the survey: teenagers believe
that governments are lagging behind them in their level of concern
over climate change. Whereas the teens surveyed regard climate
change as more important than terrorism (56 per cent versus 46 per
cent, respectively) they think that governments consider climate
change a lower priority. 33 per cent think governments are 'very
concerned' about climate change compared to 42 per cent who see
governments being 'very concerned' about terrorism.
North America has come under the most fire, with 39 per cent of
teens citing the continent as being responsible for the majority of
greenhouse gases, followed by Europe (24 per cent) and Asia (19 per
cent). Despite teens in every country pointing fingers at North
America for the crisis (except in Asia where they blame
themselves), a quarter of North American teens are still not sure
if global warming is even a problem.
"The response from the teens to this survey conducted in Habbo
is phenomenal and really highlights the concern felt around the
world," explains Timo Soininen, CEO of Sulake. "Giving teens a
voice on this matter is essential and we need to find practical
ways to work together and engage our youth to help combat this
problem."
Although 64 per cent of teens believe it's still possible to
stop global warming, nearly 40 per cent don't actually know what's
causing it or how to prevent it. One thing is clear though: teens
do not regard this as a future problem; two thirds of those polled
believe that global warming will affect their lives in a negative
way.
"Today's teenagers are tomorrow's decision makers. They are
'Generation C' - the generation that has to beat climate change,"
said Gerd Leipold, Greenpeace International Executive Director. "It
will be up to them to create a revolution in non-polluting,
renewable energy to prevent global warming from affecting the lives
of billions of people and threatening the survival of countless
species of animals and plants."
Scientists of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
say that emissions of greenhouse gases need to be halved globally
by the middle of this century to avoid severe impacts such as water
shortages, floods and the spread of diseases.
The 49,243 teens participating in the November 2007 Habbo survey
came from 18 countries. Those completing the survey were given the
option of finding out more about climate change at the 'Habbos
against climate change' campaign group page. 16,000 Habbos
registered as the supporters of the group.
Other contacts: Andrew Kerr, Deputy Chief Editor, Greenpeace International, Tel: +31 6 4616 2031 (mobile)
VVPR info: Accompanying graphs from the research are available on request. General Sulake and Habbo press images can be downloaded from: www.sulake.com/press/image_bank. For background photos regarding climate change, contact the Greenpeace International picture desk. Tel: +31 20 718 2058
Notes: About the researchThe research was conducted within the virtual world, Habbo, and the total amount of respondents (after data cleaning) was 49,243. The research was conducted in November 2007. 18 countries were surveyed and statistical weighting was employed to give all participating countries an equal weight in the global results. Research is available on request. About HabboHabbo is a richly colorful, multi-dimensional virtual community and game environment for teens. Users join by creating a fully-customized online character called a Habbo. From there, they can explore many public hang-outs, play a variety of games, connect with friends, decorate their own rooms, and have fun through creativity and self expression. Currently there are Habbo communities in 31 countries on five continents. To date, over 82 million Habbo characters have been created and 6 million unique users worldwide visit Habbo each month (source: Google Analytics). www.habbo.xx.xxAbout SulakeSulake is an online entertainment company focused on virtual worlds and social networking. Sulake’s main product is Habbo, one of the world’s fastest growing virtual worlds and online communities for teenagers. There are localized Habbo communities in 31 countries on five continents. To date over 82 million Habbo characters have been created and 6 million unique users worldwide visit Habbo each month (source: Google Analytics). Habbo brand is being extended to include mobile games and content as well as real-life products.Sulake was established in 2000 and it has almost doubled its annual revenues each year. The main shareholders in Sulake include Taivas Group, Elisa Group, 3i Group plc, and Benchmark Capital followed by Movida Group (in Japan), the company’s founders Sampo Karjalainen and Aapo Kyrölä, Sulake’s CEO Timo Soininen and other personnel.Sulake has offices in 15 countries. Headquarters is situated in Helsinki, Finland. Currently the company has over 300 employees worldwide. www.sulake.com Greenpeace’s activities related to BaliFollow progress at the Bali climate conference and join in Greenpeace’s activities at www.greenpeace.org/bali-action