US Consumers Least Green, Brazil and India Greenest
American consumers may talk “green” but they have a lot of walking to do to catch up to consumers in Brazil and India when it comes to being environmentally friendly, a new survey finds. The National Geographic Society and the international polling firm GlobeScan have launched “Greendex” a tracking survey of consumer choice and the environment.
Consumers in Brazil and India tied as most “green,” while those in the United States scored lowest, or most wasteful.
To create the survey, GlobeScan conducted Internet surveys of consumers in 14 countries, which together represent more than half of the world’s population and use about 75 percent of its energy. Rather than measuring each nation’s environmental impact, the Greendex compares the behaviors of individuals in four key areas: housing, transportation, food, and consumer goods.
Brazilians and Indians each scored 60 on the sustainable-consumption scale. Citizens of other nations scored as follows: China (56.1); Mexico (54.3); Hungary (53.2); Russia (52.4); Great Britain, Germany and Australia (each at 50.2); Spain (50); Japan (49.1); France (48.7); Canada (48.5); and the U.S. (44.9).
Housing factors included dwelling size; energy use for heating, cooling, and appliances; and water needs. Brazilians topped this category because they typically have smaller homes, rarely use air conditioning or heating, and rely heavily on on-demand, tankless water-heating systems.
Transportation behaviors measured included ownership rates and average usage of motorized vehicles, length of daily commutes, and utilization of public transport. Chinese scored highest on transportation, because, at least for now, most rely on bicycles or walking and drive few motorized vehicles per capita.
The foods category polled consumers on their consumption of locally produced foods, as well as their relative consumption of bottled water, meat, and seafood—products that typically have high environmental impact. Indians had the greenest food habits because they consume little meat and eat many fruits and vegetables.
The goods category looked at the items that people typically buy, reuse, and discard—including both day-to-day purchases and larger items such as televisions. Consumer preference for environmentally friendly products and packaging, as well as overall levels of personal consumption, were also considered.
The Greendex also found that people in developing nations felt more responsible for environmental problems and worried more about the impacts of global warming.
A few interesting findings:
- More than half of houses in the UK, US and Australia have 7 or more rooms.
- Only 5% of US consumers use public transportation most days, compared with 53% in Russia.
- 62% of Brazilians consume beef at least several times a week, the same as the percentage of Japanese who consume fish that often.
- 83% of Germans consume bottled water at least several times a week.
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