Poll Shows Commitment to Sustainability Still Important to Consumers
09.28.2009
In:
Technology,
Energy / Infrastructure
RALEIGH, N.C., July 24, 2009 - A recent Capstrat-Public Policy Polling survey shows that Americans continue to place a high value on a business' commitment to sustainability, despite their concerns about the economy. Eighty-three percent of respondents said a company's commitment to sustainable business practices is very or somewhat important in their purchasing decisions.
But the poll of 923 adults also suggests that many businesses are not yet associating their brands with sustainability. Nearly half (46 percent) of respondents said they rarely or never hear their employers talk about sustainability even though nearly a quarter (24 percent) say that sustainability is a top priority in their company’s business decisions.
"It appears that many businesses are missing an opportunity to tell customers and employees about their own commitment to sustainability," said Capstrat CEO Ken Eudy. "While there have been questions about corporate 'greenwashing' where companies are overstating their true dedication to green practices, this poll indicates that many businesses have a bona fide commitment that they aren’t communicating clearly to customers and employees."
Eudy says this is a missed opportunity—especially considering that even amid an economic turndown, a majority of poll respondents (60 percent) said they would pay more for what they consider to be a green product.
Other notable Capstrat-Public Policy Poll results include:
- Seventeen percent of poll respondents said their employers report on sustainability efforts to employees frequently.
- Fifty-four percent of poll respondents believe their companies' recycling programs are their most important green activity.
- Ten percent of Americans consider environmental friendliness the most important factor in purchasing decisions.
The national survey on corporate social responsibility, conducted by Public Policy Polling on July 6-7, 2009, polled 923 adults. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.
Find the survey questionnaire and results at www.publicpolicypolling.com.
About Capstrat
Capstrat is a communications agency based in Raleigh, N.C. The firm specializes in communications for complex issues that healthcare, technology, energy/infrastructure and financial organizations face at critical moments. Capstrat provides public relations, marketing communications, interactive communications and public affairs. Visit Capstrat on the Web, www.capstrat.com
Public Policy Polling has conducted regional and national surveys since 1991. The firm employs Interactive Voice Response or IVR methodology. Just as polling evolved from mail-in surveys and door-to-door interviewers to live telephone interviewers, the polling industry is now evolving into automated telephone surveys (IVR) and internet polling. An analysis by the Wall Street Journal of swing state polls in the 2008 presidential campaign concluded that Public Policy Polling was among the two most accurate survey firms.
