Fewer Americans 'Going Green'

NEW YORK, Jan. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to the environment, there is an interesting difference in who is and who is not green.  Lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender (LGBT) adults are "greener" than their heterosexual counterparts – LGBT adults are more likely to express concern for the environment, describe themselves in green terms (e.g., environmentalist, "green," conservationist), and say environmental issues are important to their voting and purchasing decisions.

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However, while LGBT adults are increasing their commitment to the environment, American adults overall are now less likely than they were in the summer of 2009 to espouse certain "green" attitudes and engage in various environmentally-friendly activities.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,352 U.S. adults (ages 18 and over), surveyed online between November 8 and November 15, 2010 by Harris Interactive.

A comparison between the 2010 and 2009 surveys reveals that fewer Americans are now "going green."  Specifically, compared to 2009, adults in America are now less likely to engage in various green behaviors in their daily life, including:

• Making an effort to use less water (60% 2009 vs. 57% 2010);
• Purchasing locally grown produce (39% 2009 vs. 33% 2010);
• Purchasing locally manufactured products (26% 2009 vs. 23% 2010);
• Purchasing organic products (17% 2009 vs. 15% 2010); and,
• Composting food and organic waste (17% 2009 vs. 15% 2010).

And, U.S. adults are also less likely to have adopted certain environmental activities in the past year, including:

• Purchased Energy Star appliances (36% 2009 vs. 30% 2010);
• Donated or recycled electronics (41% 2009 vs. 32% 2010);
• Switched from bottled to tap water (29% 2009 vs. 23% 2010);
• Installed a low-flow showerhead or toilet (25% 2009 vs. 20% 2010); and,
• Purchased a hybrid or more fuel-efficient car (13% 2009 vs. 8% 2010).

Not only are fewer Americans behaving in environmentally-friendly ways, but many are now also less likely to embrace, or be influenced by, "green" attitudes – just over 1 in 3 U.S. adults (36%) say they are concerned about the planet they are leaving behind for future generations, compared to more than 2 in 5 adults (43%) who said so in 2009. And, only 28% of adults say environmental issues are very or extremely important to them when deciding how to vote for political candidates, compared to more than 1 in 3 adults (36%) who said this was important to them in 2009.

Despite the aforementioned declines in Americans' attitudes and actions concerning environmental issues, U.S. adults are now more likely to describe themselves as conservationist (20% 2010 vs. 17% 2009), "green" (18% 2010 vs. 13% 2009), and environmentalist (16% 2010 vs. 13% 2009) than they were previously.

So What?

It is difficult to draw conclusions from these paradoxical results: on the one hand, only minorities of U.S. adults – even fewer now than in 2009 – think or act green. On the other hand, though still only a minority, more adults than before now label themselves in environmental terms. Only time will tell if Americans are just paying lip service to trendy buzz words like "green" and "environmentalist," or if these are signs of a gradually expanding small but vocal "green movement."  One point to consider, though, is the economy: it's possible that, in economic hard times, environmental enthusiasm wanes as people face tougher financial problems.

Methodology

This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between November 8 to 15, 2010 among 2,352 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of Harris Interactive.

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Q860, 865, 875, 880

The Harris Poll® #3, January 10, 2011

By Kathy Steinberg, Sr. Research Manager, Public Affairs and Policy Research, Harris Interactive

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American, European, and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us – and our clients – stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

SOURCE The Harris Poll