A national Capstrat-Public Policy Polling survey found that 59% of consumers consider a product’s environmental sustainability to be “very important” in their buying decisions. And 56% noted they would pay “a little” to “significantly” more for a product that was environmentally friendly.
Yet — in a mystifying donut hole between opportunity and realization — nearly half of respondents (47%) said sustainability and environmental friendliness are “rarely” or “never” mentioned in their employers’ communications. Only 20% of respondents said sustainability was “frequently” mentioned.
In its reporting of the data, Capstrat asks, “Are companies missing an opportunity to promote the “greenness” of their products and services?”
The research organization adds that these survey results are in line with a its 2009 poll in which 54% of respondents cited sustainability as “very important” in their buying decisions and 59% said they would pay “a little” to “significantly” more for a product that was environmentally friendly. In that poll, 46% of respondents said sustainability was “rarely” or “never” mentioned in their companies’ communications.
“Poll results show that consumers’ commitment to sustainability is holding strong,” says Capstrat CEO, Ken Eudy. ”Companies with a genuine commitment to the environment are missing a huge opportunity to promote this orientation – even with their own employees. Corporations could and should do more to communicate what they are doing to protect the environment.”
| 2009 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I am willing to pay “a little” or “significantly” more for a product that is environmentally friendly | 54% | 56% | +2% |
| Sustainability is “rarely” or “never” mentioned in employer communications | 46% | 47% | +1% |
To view complete survey results, visit www.PublicPolicyPolling.com.
Other notable findings reported by Capstrat include:
Millennials more likely to pay for green:
Nineteen percent of Millennials are willing to pay “significantly more” for a green product, more than any other age cohort (results were 4% for ages 30-45; 7% for ages 46-65; and 5% among those older than 65.
Men less likely to pay for green:
Fifty-two percent of men say they will pay “no more” for a green product — compared to 32% of women.
Democrats twice as concerned about green:
Environmental friendliness is more important to Democrats — 11% of respondents identifying themselves as Democrats called sustainability the most important factor in purchasing decisions compared to only 4% of Republicans.
