Nearly seven out of 10 U.S. consumers (65%) are willing to pay more for products made with renewable resources, according to a new survey.
In addition, global warming and helping American farmers were important drivers for consumers according to the survey, which queried 1,001 U.S. homeowners to identify consumers’ personal attitudes and behavior toward environmental responsibility.
32% of respondents said they would consider purchasing renewably sourced products that are more expensive to help deter global warming, while 33% of respondents said they would consider doing the same to help American farmers.
"The survey confirms that people are becoming much savvier, with a growing understanding that being environmentally responsible is more than just recycling or buying products made with recycled materials," said Peter C. Hemken, vice president and general manager of DuPont Applied BioSciences – Biomaterials, one of the studies sponsors.
According to the survey results, a majority of respondents (65%) are willing to pay at least $5 more on a $100 product — or an additional 5 percent–for products that are made with renewable resources. On average, U.S. consumers are willing to pay $8.30 more on a $100 product that uses renewable resources.
The survey, sponsored by DuPont (NYSE: DD) and Mohawk Industries, also found that there are clear regional differences in how different parts of the United States view environmental responsibility. While 28% of the U.S. overall believes it is extremely important to be environmentally responsible, specific regions ranked particularly high.
The Pacific and East South Central regions of the United States topped the list at 39% and 38%, respectively. At the other end of the spectrum were the Mountain (25%), Middle Atlantic (24%), and tied at 21% were West South Central and East North Central regions.
Other key findings of the survey include:
- Women tend to be more environmentally responsible than men. 86% of women said environmental responsibility is important (answered "extremely important" or "somewhat important") while 74% of men said the same.
- Income and age demographics have no significant impact on environmental responsibility
- The survey found that there was no significant disparity among various income groups in recognizing the importance of environmental responsibility. Across all income levels, the concern for environmental responsibility and degree of action to achieve environmental responsibility was similar.
- Respondents were asked what environmentally responsible actions they take in their households. Most U.S. consumers cited recycling (60%), using less water (56%) and using less energy (53%) as behaviors they do "all the time." Behaviors that were the least popular were likely the hardest for consumers to carry out. They included doing business with environmentally responsible companies, using alternative energy and assessing their carbon footprint, all at 9%.
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