BERLIN, March 8 (Xinhua) -- A majority of Germans, 54 percent, was against pupils demonstrating for climate protection during school time on Fridays, according to a survey released on Friday.
While more than half of 2,060 people surveyed supported holding demonstrations outside of school time, only 37 percent was in favor of children missing school classes in order to participate in climate strikes such as "Fridays For Future" in Germany.
The Fridays For Future initiative, inspired by Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, has found resonance with pupils and students around the world. In Germany alone, around 155 local groups of school pupils and university students are part of the global movement.
The survey, conducted by the public opinion research institute YouGov on behalf of the German energy service provider ista, revealed that a large majority of Germans, 87 percent, found that the issue of climate protection should be covered in schools.
Among the supporters of teaching climate issues in school in Germany, 57 percent believed that climate protection should be part of the official curriculum. Some 22 percent of supporters felt that climate protection should be part of voluntary activities at schools, while 8 percent thought that climate protection should be addressed at German schools every Friday.
"Climate protection should be firmly anchored in school lessons", ista CEO Thomas Zinnoecker said, referring to the results of the survey, and added that "schools are the ideal place for teachers, parents and pupils to discuss specific climate protection measures".
The Fridays For Future initiative has announced nationwide strikes in 150 German cities and villages on March 15, as part of an international day of action in which students from more than 40 countries and regions will be skipping classes to demonstrate for accelerated action against climate change.
