Survey Finds Americans Eco-Aware
Still think American's aren't catching on to the new green wave? A new survey indicates otherwise. The 2007 Cone Consumer Environmental Survey finds that Americans are more environmentally aware today than they were last year. They're buying more green products and taking small steps to do their part.
93% say they conserve energy
89% recycle
86% conserve water
70% talk about enviro issues with friends and family
47% have purchased environmentally friendly products
The survey also indicates that people's expectation of business has changed. Americans expect companies to reduce their pollution, reduce packaging and other wastes, and communicate environmentally responsible practices to consumers and employees. This should be a red flag to the business world as the survey also found that:
The vast majority of Americans (91%) say they have a more positive image of a company when it is environmentally responsible. On the flip side, almost as many (85%) indicated they would consider switching to another company's products or services because of a company's negative corporate responsibility practices.
So listen up corporate America, people are on the look out for green products and have a favorable attitude towards companies that are environmentally responsible. While this survey could give businesses an excuse to green wash (which is to say they're green or skew their PR and advertising to allude to green-ness that doesn't really exist), I think more companies will look for ways to green their current offerings or have a green product line to get in on this widening marketplace.
Tags: activism, consumer+products, Environment, Social Entrepreneurship, Survey
April 17th, 2007 at 9:45 pm
I am working from the ground up with a company that will be doing every aspect from marketing to production green. Good article!
April 17th, 2007 at 10:58 pm
I suspect there’s a gap between what a lot of people will tell somebody conducting a survey and what they actually do. Assuming the data as it’s presented here matches up closely with the way the questions were phrased, it’s the easiest thing in the world to that if you didn’t think much of one company’s social-responsibility practices, you’d consider switching to another. Doing it, let alone the research needed to really evaluate those practices, is a whole other story.
You can see it in the comparatively small number of people — 47 per cent — who say they’ve actually done something as concrete as knowingly buying an environmentally friendly product.
I mean, it’s more good news than bad, but I think it’s nothing to get too excited about.
April 18th, 2007 at 1:30 am
The level of denial is incredible, don’t you think? 93% say the conserve energy. I’d love to know the definition given to them by the pollsters of ‘conserving energy’. Amy - do you have access to the polling company’s complete poll questionnaire?