More than half of Iceland’s 18-29 year olds are in favor of banning whaling altogether – while older generations are much more hesitant about a ban.
In December, Iceland’s outgoing prime minister, Bjarni Benediktsson, gave the go-ahead for whaling in the country for the next five years. A license to hunt herring whales was also granted last summer, but as the permit came too late in the season, no whaling took place in Iceland this year.
Almost half of Icelanders are dissatisfied with the recently granted whaling license, according to a survey conducted by Maskína in December. At the same time, a third say they are satisfied, Icelandic state broadcaster RUV reports.
Of men, 45% support whaling, while only 23% of women back the decision. At the same time, the survey shows that there is significant opposition to a total ban on whaling, with a majority of Sjálfststæðisflokkurinn (Independence Party) voters, for example, opposing a legal ban.
More than half of Icelandic women support a ban on whaling. The same is true for more than half of 18-29 year olds, while around 50% of people in the 30-39 age group are also in favor of a ban.
A majority of people in the 50-59 and 60+ age groups are against a ban on whale hunting.