More than a quarter of a million young Scots have taken a picture of a wind turbine while out and about in the Scottish countryside, a new survey has found.
In the poll, almost half (45%) of 16-24 year olds questioned said they had snapped a picture of a turbine – and three quarters of those (75%) say they did so because they like the way it looked.
Scotland’s wind farms are now social media stars, with the country’s largest site Whitelee (pictured) tagged almost 13,000 times on Instagram.
Pollsters Survation also asked Scottish people aged 16-24 for their views of renewable energy.
They found 90% said they feel renewable energy technologies like wind turbines have a role to play in tackling climate change.
Industry body Scottish Renewables welcomed the results.
Chief executive Claire Mack said: “We already know that concern about the impacts of climate change is rising, and this new research shows the efforts we’re taking to tackle it are finding favour, too.
“The UK Government’s own figures show us that support for onshore wind power is near an all-time high – figures which were reflected in research carried out specifically in rural Scotland by Scottish Renewables in autumn 2018.
“The young Scots questioned as part of this survey are people who will be most affected by climate change in the near future so it’s hugely encouraging that they are so positive about renewable energy’s role in tackling its effects before they happen.”
The results of this survey, which looked at how young people view renewable energy developments like wind turbines, also found two-thirds (67%) of 16-24-year-olds in Scotland support the use of onshore wind to generate power, with just 7% opposed.