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In a context where a steadily increasing number of scientific studies point out the extent of environmental issues, notably the climate crisis, there is a parallel increase in the number of researchers questioning the ecological impact of their own professional activities. Some actors in the research community are therefore calling for major changes in the practice of science itself to reduce its environmental impact, in particular regarding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To what extent can research become frugal? This article considers the willingness of actors in the research community to alter those research practices which emit the most GHGs, such as air travel or the use of energy-intensive equipment. To this end, we relied on the results of the ‘Research Personnel and Climate Change’ survey conducted in 2020 among more than 6,000 respondents. The survey shows there is a strong consensus on the need to alter research activities to respond to the climate emergency and on the concrete actions to be implemented. However, at the individual level the research personnel find it more difficult to envisage reducing GHG emissions for activities involving the collection and production of data, as well as for disciplines with the highest emissions and for individuals occupying a dominant position in research.