Press Release

Interest In Green Purchasing Points To Emerging Green Recovery

Green Confidence Index shows strong sharp rise in Americans’ attitudes toward making green purchases and government’s handling of environmental issues

OAKLAND, Calif., February 25, 2010 - American consumers showed increased optimism on environmental issues for the fourth straight month, according to the monthly Green Confidence Index (www.greenconfidenceindex.com).

The Index, which is derived from a monthly online survey of approximately 2,500 Americans aged 18 and over, jumped nearly four percent during January, based in large part on consumers’ expressed interest in buying green products in the coming months. The Index measures Americans’ attitudes towards and confidence in how leaders and institutions are perceived to be addressing environmental issues, the adequacy of information available to them to make informed decisions, and their past and future purchases of green products.

The Index’s three components include:

Of the Index’s three components, it was Purchasing that drove the change. Past purchasing is now above 110 (+5.7 points from December), roughly 10 percent higher than the July 2009 benchmark. Anticipated future purchasing was not far behind at 108.

• Responsibility: Who’s “doing enough” – and who’s not?
• Information: Is enough information available and for what types of decisions?
• Purchasing: Is green purchasing continuing, accelerating or declining?

Is a green recovery at hand? According to Chief Research Officer Amy Hebard of Earthsense, whose company creates the Index: "Don’t bet the farm quite yet. Of the three components, Purchasing has shown to have the most month-to-month variability, no doubt because it is the one most directly affected by changes in the economic winds. And our picture of increased confidence is painted primarily with consumable products — food, personal care, household care products, etc. — which are lower priced than durables, whose price tags are typically much higher; the latter showed little change, no doubt reflecting the challenges of making a large initial investment..”

The monthly measure published today also tracks what Americans think about the individuals leading the charge on environmental action. It introduced a “Perceived Environmental Impact” score for a score of individuals from government, business, media and activism. The PEI score assesses whose reach is broadest and deepest. Leading the pack were Al Gore, Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Jane Goodall.

Also this month, The Index offered insight into Americans’ attitudes toward buying renewable energy. It found that more than 75% of Americas don’t currently have renewables on their radar screens. Many don’t understand them, while others aren’t aware of the available alternatives. A small group of pioneers — less than 5% of adults — say they have purchased renewable energy in some form.

“The challenge ahead for utilities is developing easy-to-understand, consumer-friendly incentives to help accelerate the development of this sector. Beyond that, marketers will need to help consumers understand the bigger picture beyond their energy bills: the job creation, economic development, and energy and national security that can come from a clean-energy economy,” says John Davies, vice president of GreenBiz Intelligence, a partner in the Green Confidence Index.

The Green Confidence Index is a partnership of three leading business information services companies: GreenBiz.com, part of Greener World Media, which also produces research reports and events on the greening of mainstream business; Earthsense, an applied marketing company that produces Eco-Insights, the largest syndicated survey of U.S. consumers’ attitudes and behaviors toward the environment and sustainability; and Survey Sampling International, the world’s largest provider of multi-mode survey research sampling solutions.