Berlin - Despite widespread concerns about the consequences of global warming and air pollution in general, Germans show a marked reluctance to end their love affair with the car, according to a recent poll.
Asked whether they would do without their car for the sake of the environment, 63.9 percent responded, "rather not" or "by no means."
Only 27.7 per cent were prepared to consider making the sacrifice, according to the survey of some 2500 respondents by pollsters Civey commissioned by the Berlin daily Tagesspiegel.
Rural respondents showed the greatest reluctance to part with their cars, whereas the number of urban dwellers prepared to give up owning a car rose to more than 50 percent.
In an indication of broader environmental concerns, more than three quarters said the federal government was not doing enough for commuter public transport and cyclists.
As many as 55.9 percent came out against government plans to terminate the licensing of cars powered by the internal combustion engine from 2030 onwards.