India, Brazil Home to Greenest Consumers; U.S. Ranks Last
May 8, 2008 - India and Brazil boast some of the greenest consumers in the world, according to a new survey from the National Geographic Society and GlobeScan, a polling firm. In general, consumers in developed countries appear less concerned about making greener purchasing choices - and American shoppers came in dead last.
The new Greendex consumer choice survey, conducted online, tracked the attitudes of 14,000 consumers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Spain and the United States. Respondents earned a "Greendex score" of up to 100 points based on the relative environmental sustainability of their consumption patterns.
Consumers in Brazil and India tie for the highest Greendex score, at 60 points each. They are followed by consumers in China (56.1), Mexico (54.3), Hungary (53.2), and Russia (52.4).
Consumers in developing countries appear most concerned about the environmental impact of their personal choices, the report suggests, because they are the first to experience the negative consequences of environmental degradation. Six in 10 people in developing countries report that environmental problems are negatively affecting their health — twice as many as in most developed countries. In addition, consumers in developing countries feel strongest that global warming will worsen their way of life in their lifetime, are the most engaged when it comes to talking and listening about the environment, feel the most guilt about their environmental impact and are willing to do the most to minimize that impact.
Among consumers in wealthy countries, those in Great Britain, Germany, and Australia each have a Greendex score of 50.2, those in Spain register a score of 50.0 and Japanese respondents, 49.1. U.S. consumers have the lowest Greendex score at 44.9. The other lowest-scoring consumers are Canadians with 48.5 and the French with 48.7.
American shoppers continue to confound pollsters with survey results showing that their stated commitment to buying green has a tendency to stop just short of the cash register.
This year's results will serve as a baseline against which results of future annual surveys will be compared, the National Geographic Society says.
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