Environmentally-conscious consumers are paying more attention to their actions and, in some cases, paying more money for a brand’s actions.

With each passing Earth Day, consumers become more conscious of, well, consumption. From tweaking everyday purchase decisions to vocally holding companies accountable for environmental impacts, Americans are going green and expecting brands to follow suit. But what actions exactly are environmentally-conscious consumers taking? And what values are driving those decisions? Let’s look at the real-time data available in the Resonate Ignite Platform.

How are consumers being environmentally conscious?

Source: the Resonate Ignite Platform

48% of U.S. consumers believe buying green products is one of the best ways to help the environment. How many are actually doing so?

• 12% purchase energy-efficient products and services
• 10% prefer to shop at a retailer that cares about the environment
• 8% prefer to purchase products and services from companies that significantly reduce their energy use
• 6% purchase sustainably produced products and services

As for specific product categories:

• 22% list “environmentally friendly” as an important company characteristic when picking apparel brands to shop from
• 20% believe environmental impact is important when purchasing a personal technology product
• 17% consider the environmental benefit (e.g., sustainable, packaging) when buying cosmetic products
• 8% list environmental impact as a top consideration when looking to buy their next car

Source: the Resonate Ignite Platform

How environmentally conscious are consumers being?

The Resonate Ignite Platform™ houses a green engagement hierarchy based on actions people take now and how they commit to future environmental health. Here’s how many Americans are represented at each level. (Note: Mutually exclusive levels include the criteria of all previous levels (e.g. level 3 includes level 2 and 1 criteria, plus more)

• 3% Dark green: Completed environmentally-conscious activities requiring low, moderate, and high commitment (relied solely on public transit, bought carbon offsets, installed/maintained alternate energy systems) and have a personal commitment to future environmental health
• 10% Moderate green: Completed environmentally-conscious activities requiring low and moderate commitment (researched a company, bought a green product, recommended/criticized a company, donated money to green causes, contacted a politician) and are committed to future environmental health
• 34% Light green: Completed a few environmentally-conscious activities requiring low commitment (used reusable bags, recycled, carpooled/drove less) and have some commitment towards future environmental health
• 54% Not engaged in activities to help the environment

What expectations do Americans have for the government and private industry to go green?

In our Advocates of America on Energy and Climate Issues report, we dove into where high-level advocacy engagers stand on energy and climate issues. Here’s what the average American thinks:

• 43% are pro-regulation that address climate change and protect the environment
• 33% Most passionate about developing alternative energy sources (solar, wind, etc)
• 26% list environmental action as a top candidate platform when considering supporting a candidate for public office
• 23% believe increasing their usage of renewable energy sources should be the top priority for our nation’s energy providers/power companies

Now that we know how green the average U.S. consumer is going, let’s dive in to meet the most conscious population. This audience, built in the Resonate Ignite Platform, includes those light, moderate, and dark green consumers mentioned above. Here’s what our real-time data can tell us.

Meet your environmentally-conscious consumers

Source: the Resonate Ignite Platform

The environmentally-conscious consumer is 56% more likely than the average American to travel further or pay more for a product or service based on an issue that’s important to them. With environmental issues at the top of their list, their time and dollars are likely going to environmentally-conscious brands. What actions is your brand taking to mitigate environmental impact? Do your customers and prospects know about those actions? And, more importantly, do they trust you’re following through? With the freshest insights on your audience, you can build a trusting, unbreakable relationship.

Connect with your environmentally-conscious customers and prospects

The real-time insights above are just a few leaves on our tree of 13,000+ AI-driven insights on over 200 million U.S. consumers. Want to know how many of your customers and prospects are environmentally conscious? What’s driving their decisions to support or abandon your brand?

Get access to the deepest, freshest, most actionable consumer insights out there and ignite campaign results, brand loyalty, and customer lifetime value. Request a demo today.