- 26% not comfortable making changes in lifestyle
- 56% comfortable making relationship changes; 15% gearing up to make a change in 2024
- 25% plan to change career / job in 2024
- 34% lack confidence to make changes; 32% can’t afford to make changes
New research into the habits of Irish adults has revealed that 83% of us fear on missing out on new experiences and opportunities by sticking to the same habits. Of that 83%, 82% admit they are creatures of habit. The study showed that 16% claim to never make changes in their lives, while more than a quarter (26%) do so every year and almost a fifth (19%) do so every few months.
The research coincides with the launch of Toyota’s new brand campaign ‘Make The Move’ which encourages drivers to experience the electrified freedom that a Toyota hybrid electric provides, and to move away from diesel and harmful emissions for the good of our health and the health of the environment. 1.4m** diesel cars are still being driven in Ireland which may come as a surprise to many, with 71% of those surveyed vastly underestimating this figure.
The survey of 750 adults over the age of 25 from across Ireland was created to understand the perspectives of Irish people when it comes to making step changes in various aspects of their lives. Toyota, which is Ireland’s best-selling car brand for the last three years, has been leading the change in more sustainable motoring for more than 25 years, with its hybrid electrics accounting for almost 90% of its entire annual sales.
The new ‘Make The Move’ campaign represents a new chapter for Toyota Ireland’s Built for a Better World brand platform, bringing to life the joy and fun of driving hybrid electric or the joy of moving to hybrid electric. With distinctive Irish cues and landmarks, the narrative centres around the happiness and freedom which comes from driving hybrid – whether that’s the confidence of driving with no need to plug in, or the pure joy brought by driving hybrid electric, knowing that you have made a move towards more sustainable motoring.
Lifestyle, Relationships & Careers
The survey revealed that while more than a quarter (26%) of Irish adults are not comfortable making changes in their lifestyle, close to a fifth (19%) are very comfortable and more than half (55%) are somewhat comfortable – good news indeed given the challenging climate crisis we find ourselves in.
In terms of relationships a surprising 56% are comfortable making changes, while 34% are not very comfortable, and 10% are not at all comfortable. Interestingly, when asked what they are most likely to change in 2024, 15% said their relationships, so there may be many broken hearts in Ireland next year!
When it comes to the workplace and careers our habitual patterns are starker, with more than a third (34%) not being comfortable making changes, while 45% are somewhat comfortable and 21% are very comfortable. 25% plan to make a career or job change in 2024.
Ch, Ch, Ch, Ch, Changes!
When asked what they are most likely to change in 2024 almost half (48%) cited improvements in health and fitness, 46% said changes to their spending habits, almost a fifth (19%) are planning on changing where they live.
On a more sustainable note, 31% plan on switching to a more environmentally friendly car like a hybrid or full battery electric, while 3% say they’ll walk more, take public transport or carshare. In fact, 18% of respondents said they tend to make changes in their lives to have a more positive impact on the world.
Why Change?
In terms of reasons why Irish people make changes the biggest motivations were for health and wellbeing (60%), personal growth and feel-good factor (50%), to improve financial stability (49%) and to improve relationships (28%).
What’s Stopping You?
The deterrents to making changes are many and varied with more than 30% each citing lack of confidence, difficulty in making up their mind, not having the financial resources, and not having the motivation. 26% said they simply don’t have the time to make changes.
Commenting on the research findings, Zoë Bradley, Head of Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Toyota Ireland said,
“We found some of the research findings very surprising. We Irish are renowned for our sense of adventure and love for discovery, but the survey suggests that we are a lot more cautious than we think we are!"
“That said, over the last few years our wide hybrid electric range has been embraced like never before by Irish drivers, with most switching from diesels, a trend that bears out in this new research with 31% planning on making the move to a fully electric or hybrid electric car next year. The aim of our joyous new brand campaign “Make The Move”, which represents the next stage of our Built for a Better World brand promise, will inspire others to make the move to more sustainable motoring.”
The ‘Make a Move’ campaign launched on Monday 23rd October 2023 across TV, radio, Toyota.ie and Toyota Ireland’s social media channels. For more information, please visit https://www.toyota.ie/make-the-move.