Sep 3, 2008
The Gradual Greening of AmericansBy Melissa KrantzWSLStrategicRetail.com

One of the most significant social trends we highlighted for you in the 2008 How America Shops® MegaTrends survey was the “Greening of America.” Despite rising gas prices and the mortgage mess, half of all shoppers are buying products which are good for the environment and a third were pro-actively looking for such products in stores. It’s cool to save the planet.

The most recent PULSE survey tested a range of specific “Green” behaviors for the second year in a row.

The PULSE Survey Reports:

Despite The Financial Pressures We’re Under, We’re Still Getting Greener – Gradually

  • We tested eight “Green behavior” statements this year and last year; 7 of the 8 are up between 1 to 4 percentage points – that’s not statistically significant but moving in the right direction.
  • We added three new statements that touched on using reusable grocery bags (31%) and avoiding products that have too much packaging (27%). Good news for Toyota, another 19% plan to buy a car that consumes less gas in the next year. In fact, we were surprised that shoppers who are so squeezed for cash had not been forced to trade-off the often pricier sustainable products. Of course, some of what is sustainable is also cheaper in the long run too – like CFL bulbs – but clearly being Green is important enough to many to escape the squeeze.
  • As in 2007, the most popular Green behavior is also the easiest – buying those CFL light bulbs (62% vs. 59% a year ago), while almost half of us are now choosing energy saving appliances (+2pp over 2007).
  • Almost a third of us (31%) say we’re using those re-usable grocery bags – though that seems a little high to us. (Look around you at the supermarket checkout this weekend and see if 1/3 people have their re-usable bags). Either way, it is clearly something we aspire to even if we often forget the bags in the trunk of the car!
  • Around a quarter of us are being proactively green – either by looking for bio-degradable/recyclable packaging (28% up 4pp), consciously avoiding products which have too much packaging (27%) and shopping at stores where sustainability is a priority like Wal-Mart (22% – up 4pp).

No Change In Overall Feelings Towards Energy Conservation

  • While stores and brands are clearly making it more and more easy to BE Green, there’s been absolutely no change in the proportion of consumers who are trying to conserve energy which seems to have peaked at 76% this year same as last, perhaps because it’s summer and the heat isn’t on yet.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who’s the Greenest Consumer of Them All?

  • Fully 84% of those over 55 are trying to conserve energy compared to 67% of those under 35.
  • However, when it comes to other Green behaviors which save the environment, age makes virtually no difference. In fact, in some areas like switching from a gas-guzzling SUV to a fuel-miser like a Prius, younger people are the most likely to be going Green – though saving money is probably as important as saving the planet.

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