Environmentally sustainable behavior in 10 out of the 17 countries surveyed in the Greendex 2010: Consumer Choice and the Environment — A Worldwide Tracking Survey increased over the past year, and has increased from 2008 in all but one of the 14 countries polled in that year and this year. Greendex 2010 is the third annual consumer survey by the National Geographic Society and international polling firm GlobeScan. The results of the survey, which measures consumer behavior in 65 areas related to housing, transportation, food and consumer goods in 17 countries, were released last week.
Although American consumers’ average score increased by 1.3 points each year, they still have not surpassed Canadian consumers’ 2008 score. American consumers rank as the least sustainable among the countries surveyed, followed by Canadian, French and British consumers. Consumers in India, Brazil and China rank as the most environmentally sustainable, in descending order.
The survey polled consumers on 10 factors and the results show that greenwashing is number one for discouraging consumers from adopting sustainable behaviors. The second most discouraging factor was governments and industries not doing their part. The survey results said, “GlobeScan’s analysis of the data reveals that these two perceptions directly or indirectly suppress more sustainable consumption and put downward pressure on Greendex scores.”
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