Cardiff-based Zero app teams up with Porthcawl United to capture youth climate insights
A new grassroots survey in South Wales has found that children as young as seven are leading the charge on climate change – and even correcting their parents.
The poll, conducted by Zero, a sustainable money app headquartered in Cardiff, revealed that 84% of parents believe their children know more about environmental issues than they did at the same age. The research was carried out in collaboration with Porthcawl United Football Club, with matchday interviews recorded as part of a campaign to give children a louder voice in climate conversations.
More than half of parents (54%) said their child had asked them to stop behaviours they deemed bad for the planet. These include overuse of plastic, wasting food, and driving petrol or diesel cars unnecessarily.
Lisa Stanley, Chief Sustainability Officer at Zero, said:
“We’ve all heard of Are You Smarter Than a 10-Year-Old? but we wanted to ask: Are you greener than one? This was our own, wonderfully Welsh version – and the kids won the challenge set, hands down!”
“There’s something powerful about hearing it from a child too – especially when it’s about the future of their planet.”
The three-part video series, filmed with Porthcawl United’s under-8s team, features candid answers from local children who confidently said they knew more than their parents about saving the environment. Their comments ranged from picking up litter and conserving water for sea life to encouraging electric vehicle use.
The video campaign forms part of Zero’s wider mission to support both financial and environmental sustainability in Welsh communities. As sponsors of the football club’s under-8s team, Zero also helps families track their spending through their GreenScore® tool, which scores purchases based on environmental impact.
Coach Owen Strong of Porthcawl United praised the initiative:
“It’s great to see a local business like Zero getting stuck in with the team and club community. The boys and girls loved being interviewed – they always have something to say! Their answers did not disappoint, they were brilliant.”
The poll also revealed that 52% of parents had changed the way they shop, eat or travel as a result of their child’s influence. And 81% credited Welsh schools with doing a much better job teaching green issues than in the past.
However, some parents expressed a desire for more depth and practicality in how climate change is taught in schools. One noted that while children are being taught to recycle, they’re not yet encouraged to reduce consumption—highlighting the need for a broader message on sustainability.
Perhaps most tellingly, 35% of parents admitted feeling “embarrassed” by their child’s environmental awareness.
With Generation Alpha confidently calling out unsustainable habits, it seems the youngest in Wales are setting the green standard for the rest to follow.
For more information, please visit the website, here: www.zero.co.uk
- Survey conducted June 2025 by Zero, Zero | Your Money, Your Planet
- High-res images, vox pops, social media videos and clips, plus media spokespeople available on request