Flight shame under the scope: the role of norms, values, and virtue

Despite a post-pandemic resurgence in air travel, flight shame – the sense of shame or embarrassment linked to the climate impact from flying – remains incompletely understood in the UK context. Drawing on nationally representative online surveys conducted in 2022 and 2025, this article provides an up-to-date assessment of flight shame prevalence and its predictors. Most respondents reported little shame or embarrassment about their own flying, and perceived social norms were broadly supportive of air travel. Where flight shame did occur, it varied by travel circumstance and was predicted by social norms and a tendency towards moral grandstanding, rather than by personal values or connection to nature. Demographic factors such as gender and age accounted for additional variance in flight shame. Open-ended responses further illuminated the social dynamics shaping attitudes towards flying. The findings suggest that flight shame could be less a product of individual environmental considerations than of social context and identity, with implications for how sustainable travel behaviour might be encouraged.