Car mad Jeremy Clarkson has become a surprise eco-champion in the eyes of Gen Z as many saw the former Top Gear star to just as influential as Sir David Attenborough
Young adults consider Jeremy Clarkson to be more of an eco-champion than a petrol head, a poll suggests.
The Clarkson’s Farm star, 65, came second only to Sir David Attenborough, 99, when Gen Z was asked to name the celebrities that best represent the countryside.
He even beat renowned environmentalist Chris Packham, 64, and Our Yorkshire Farm star Amanda Owen, 50.
The former Top Gear and The Grand Tour host, famed for his work as a motoring presenter, said: “I like nature but I accept people like to eat beef burgers.”
He suggested his ranking was because his beliefs were “tinged with realism”.
Springwatch presenter Mr Packham welcomed Sir David’s ranking as number one.
He said: “If only we were all heeding his urgent calls to change the countryside so that it, we and everything that struggles to survive there had a more secure future.”
Sir David’s documentary Wild Isles was voted the best TV representation of countryside life in the Future Countryside survey, followed by Clarkson’s Farm.
The BBC’s flagship rural affairs show Countryfile came third, followed by Escape to the Country.
Meanwhile, farmers were voted as being the “best champion” of the Great British countryside.
Around a third of participants chose them, which meant they scored far higher than environmental campaigners and politicians.
More than half of those aged 18 to 27 also admitted that social media has influenced their decision to visit rural areas, after seeing content on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.
But just a quarter of youngsters chose a village as the place they’d most like to live.
More than half (53%) said they’d rather live in a city, while a third (32%) chose a town.
Nick Herbert, the co-chair of Future Countryside, said: “This polling skewers assumptions about Gen Z’s attitudes to the countryside.
“They believe that farmers are the countryside’s natural champions and best placed to deal with the complexities it faces, from food security to nature restoration.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
