Answer extracted from The Responsible Finance Podcast — listen to the full episode below.
What percentage of young adults aged 18 to 24 would consider relocating to a city with better air quality?
Nearly half of UK young adults aged 18 to 24 — 48% according to Yonder polling — would relocate to a city with significantly better air quality. This represents a striking generational divide, with far lower proportions among older age groups and the general population willing to make the same move.
The disparity reveals how environmental quality has become a tangible factor in residential decisions for younger generations. As Kate Barnard explains in the episode, this willingness to vote with one's feet has real economic implications for major UK cities.
Four major UK cities at highest risk of youth outmigration
The research identified London, Manchester, Birmingham, and Liverpool as the cities most at risk of losing young residents to superior air quality elsewhere. This concentration in major urban centers points to a critical vulnerability: the younger populations in Britain's largest cities are actively considering departure over environmental concerns.
The scale of this potential migration carries profound implications for workforce development, tax bases, and economic vitality in these regions. A point detailed in this podcast discussion is how low emission zones and air quality interventions have become competitive advantages for cities seeking to retain talent.
"The younger population between 18 to 24 year olds would actually vote with their feet — 48% of them would move a location to a city or a place that has much better air quality."
Kate Barnard — Founder and Chief Executive, Enjoy the Air. With 22 years of corporate experience at Rolls-Royce, Barnard founded Enjoy the Air, an evidence-based air quality intelligence company, to combine data analysis with environmental impact. Her expertise spans air quality modeling, low emission zone effectiveness, and behavioral change driven by environmental conditions.
For deeper insight into how behavioral shifts around air quality actually translate into policy outcomes, listen to the full episode where Barnard explores the disconnect between public support for clean air initiatives and the data required to prove their real-world impact on local air quality.
Key takeaways
- Nearly half of 18–24-year-olds surveyed would relocate for better air quality, compared to significantly lower rates among older populations and the general public.
- London, Manchester, Birmingham, and Liverpool face the greatest risk of losing young residents due to air quality concerns, signaling a potential workforce and economic challenge.
- This generational willingness to migrate for environmental reasons demonstrates that air quality is now a competitive factor in urban talent retention and economic development.
- The research, based on Yonder polling of 4,000 UK residents, reveals a clear link between environmental conditions and residential choice among younger demographics.
See also
Is NatWest open to providing direct investment or lending to CDFIs as part of its ongoing support for the sector?
NatWest is open for business and committed to working with CDFIs, having done so for over 30 years through various support mechanisms and direct investment.
Why is 2023 being described as a record-breaking year for CDFI lending and why does NatWest consider this significant?
The cost of living crisis drove greater volumes of individuals and businesses to CDFIs, contributing to a record year of lending across the sector.
What policy tools and funding mechanisms could help scale investment into the CDFI sector according to NatWest?
The Dormant Assets Fund was highlighted as a potential source of catalytic capital that could unlock private capital from mainstream lenders and scale investment in the CDFI sector.