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It’s hard to deny today that aviation has a significant impact on the climate. While its CO2 emissions account for 2.5 to 3% of the global total, its actual contribution to global warming rises to about 5% when contrails and other altitude-specific effects are factored in. This figure might suggest that simply raising awareness of it would be enough to reduce emissions. And yet, judging by global air traffic figures, simply knowing that air travel pollutes isn’t enough to make people fly less. It must be said that when it comes to tourism and transportation, old habits die hard—and they often take root much earlier than we realize. That’s right—the first flight taken as a child or teenager, with family, leaves an impression that stays with us for decades. But the good news is that understanding why these habits take root also means understanding where to really take action. And it’s not necessarily where we think it is.
This is demonstrated by a study Published in June 2026 by the Forum Vies Mobiles, the study was conducted by sociologists Yoann Demoli and Pierre Lannoy. It sheds new light on this topic: not only which takes a flight (we've already gone into detail on this specific point in our article on common misconceptions and inequalities related to air travel), but why do some people steal their whole lives while others never do, and why does eco-guilt make (almost) no difference? Here’s a summary of the key takeaways.
🗞️ Why are we talking about this now? (Note dated July 30, 2026) ? On July 23, 2026, the global aviation industry was a record amount of traffic. On the same day, the Gironde region was ablaze. These two pieces of news have rarely been linked, even though they are connected by a well-documented chain of events (CO2 emissions → global warming → more intense heat waves and droughts → fires and megafires). This news prompted us to take a closer look at a study published a few weeks earlier on the subject.
Does stealing as a child change everything for the rest of your life? Yes: Flying before the age of 18 increases the likelihood of flying as an adult by a factor of 4, all other social factors being equal.
Do young women fly more than young men? Yes, by a wide margin: 61% female passengers versus 39% male passengers among 15- to 24-year-olds. The gap disappears after age 35.
Does "flygskam" (eco-guilt) change people's behavior? No. Only 15% of travelers experience it, and it does not reduce the likelihood that they have flown recently.
What is the most common profile among air travelers? "Cynicism" (46.6%): being aware of the plane's climate impact without feeling guilty or changing one's behavior.
What solution does the Forum Vies Mobiles propose? A quota of two round-trip flights per year per person for personal reasons, which would reduce air traffic by 24% and emissions by 5.3 million metric tons of CO2 per year.
For complete details on "who flies in France" (low-cost, revenue, flight concentration), let's move on to our featured article, updated with the same data.
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Decarbonization of air transport: when conventional wisdom goes out the window
One of the most original contributions of this study is that it analyzed individual life trajectories rather than aggregate statistics at a given point in time. The result: flying is not a one-time choice, but a habit that is formed in childhood and is then repeated, often without people really realizing it.
For individuals with equivalent socioeconomic characteristics, having flown before the age of 18 increases the likelihood of flying as an adult fourfold.
Source: Forum Vies Mobiles, 2026
Among those who had flown during their youth, 68.8% also flew between 2022 and 2024, compared with only 33.7% of those who had never flown before turning 18. Adolescence (ages 15–18) stands out as the most decisive period for this “air travel socialization”: 75.2% of those who flew at that age have flown again recently. In other words, family vacation habits formed during childhood have a much greater influence on our adult travel habits than we might imagine.
The study identifies several life trajectories. Some people have engaged in intense and consistent physical activity since childhood—what the study terms “established hypermobility” (8.2% of French people)—most often executives, college graduates, urban dwellers, and those of means—the majority of whom plan to continue flying just as much (57%), despite an environmental awareness that is sometimes very real. Others shift to intensive travel later in life after a childhood without air travel, driven by rising incomes or changes in their professional or family lives. In all cases, one’s life trajectory often carries more weight than their current situation alone.
Source: Forum Vies Mobiles, 2026
Air travel is evenly split between men and women starting at age 35, but the gap is significant among younger people: among 25- to 34-year-olds, 55.3% of passengers are women (44.7% are men), and among 15- to 24-year-olds, the gap widens to 61% female passengers versus 39% male passengers. The researchers propose two hypotheses: a preference for air travel over driving among young women (comfort, perceived safety for equivalent distances), and greater academic success among girls, which gives them greater access to higher education that involves air travel (a year abroad, international internships or volunteer work).
This is undoubtedly the most useful contribution of this study in helping us move beyond fruitless debates on social media: for the first time on this scale, it measures the gap between what people know on the plane and what they font In practical terms.
Among French people who have flown before, researchers identify four profiles based on two criteria: whether they perceive air travel as polluting, and whether they feel guilty about it.
| Profile | Percentage of travelers | Polluting? | Guilt? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cynicism | 46.6% | Yes | No |
| Dissonance | 24.3% | No | Yes |
| Flygskam (avihonte) | 15.3% | Yes | Yes |
| Denial | 13.8% | No | No |
By far the largest group is that of the “cynics”: they know that air travel causes pollution but do not let that deter them from flying. This group tends to be highly educated and socially advantaged, with a significant number of executives, and 42% of them even want to travel more in the future, despite their awareness of climate issues.
Rather than denying the climate crisis, many travelers come up with arguments that allow them to justify their own flights. The study identifies several of these: presenting air travel as the only realistic option in the absence of a credible alternative; relying on the weight of a group plan (family vacations, trips with friends) that would be difficult to challenge alone; or offsetting this “exception” of flying by consciously adopting a more sustainable lifestyle in other areas. These mechanisms do not deny that flying causes pollution; rather, they allow people to set aside the climate argument by considering that other imperatives (family, work) take precedence on a case-by-case basis.
No, and that is undoubtedly the most counterintuitive figure in the study: this reported guilt does not reduce the likelihood of having flown in the past three years. Only 15.3% of travelers identify with this “flight shame” profile popularized by Greta Thunberg. And among them, that sense of guilt does not translate into giving up air travel. Pure denial (13.8%), on the other hand, is actually associated with the most intensive travel patterns: this is the group with the highest number of flights taken and the strongest desire to take even more.
This observation is not an inevitability but a clue. Rather than focusing on individual guilt, perhaps we can take action in other areas...
In light of this observation, the Forum Vies Mobiles advocates for structural action rather than relying on individual accountability.
Rather than a strict ban such as "4 flights in a lifetime" (a proposal that has been widely discussed, notably (led by Jean-Marc Jancovici), the Forum Vies Mobiles offers a air credit : Two round-trip trips per year per person for personal reasons; the benefit is named (verified using the reservation number already used by the airlines) and cannot be carried over or transferred from one year to the next.
According to the study, This measure would reduce air traffic by 24% and emissions by 5.3 million metric tons of CO2 per year, while ensuring that the 90% of French people who already make two round trips or fewer per year can continue to travel. The idea is to target the highly mobile minority rather than the occasional (and sometimes difficult-to-substitute) trips taken by the majority.
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On European medium-haul routes—the segment that accounts for the majority of flights taken by less frequent travelers—the answer is a resounding yes. The TGV emits about 45 to 75 times less CO2 per passenger-kilometer than an equivalent flight. The real obstacle is economic rather than technical: on European routes, train travel costs on average 2.5 times as much as flying, and up to 3 or 4 times as much on routes such as Paris–Milan or Paris–Copenhagen.
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On long-haul flights, however, the situation is different: there is currently no credible alternative, and technological solutions (sustainable aviation fuel, hydrogen, electric aircraft) remain, as researcher Aurélien Bigo explains, largely out of reach by 2050.
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Sustainable mobility: green aircraft, biofuel, electric... Aurélien Bigo untangles the true from the false
Until public policies change—if they ever do—the best option remains to adjust your own travel habits whenever possible: choose the train for routes where it’s competitive, explore rail passes for extended stays, or simply rediscover nearby destinations that are accessible without flying. That is precisely the mission we have set for ourselves at HOORAY! : To make train travel simple, appealing, and accessible to as many people as possible.
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This study fills a gap in the debate on aviation and climate: our flying habits are formed early in life and tend to persist, but they are not set in stone, as shown by the trajectories of those who change their flying habits over the course of their lives. What won’t work, however, is relying solely on individual awareness to accelerate this shift.
What if the real solution weren't to make occasional travelers feel more guilty, but to structurally target the minority that steals the most—through public policy rather than individual morality alone?
At HOORAY!, we've shared this view since our founding: pointing fingers won't bring about change, but by making train travel appealing, accessible, and practical For everyone who wants to—or is able to—travel differently.
Want to join the movement? The HOURRAIL Club! brings together a community of travelers who are convinced that you can get away from it all without flying, with Premium access to our application, exclusive discounts (on airlines, accommodations, etc.) and regular get-togethers to catch up!
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The HOURRAIL Club: the community for low-carbon travel and slow travel
Issue du monde de la communication et des médias, Sophie est Responsable éditoriale chez HOURRAIL ! depuis août 2024. Elle est notamment derrière le contenu éditorial du site ainsi que La Locomissive (de l'inspiration voyage bas carbone et des bons plans, un jeudi sur deux, gratuitement dans ta boîte mail !).
Convaincue que les changements d’habitude passent par la transformation de nos imaginaires, elle s’attache à montrer qu’il est possible de voyager autrement, de manière plus consciente, plus lente et plus joyeuse. Son objectif : rendre le slow travel accessible à toutes et tous, à travers des astuces, des décryptages et surtout, de nouveaux récits.
