Take a Second Look: Pulse Insights

And that’s what we’re dialing in on today … we’re taking a second look at some of the juiciest insights to come out of our research in the last year.

As a quick reminder: for the past 12 years, we’ve polled Americans to understand their attitudes and behaviors related to energy and the environment. These proprietary Pulse studies have formed the foundation for our understanding of consumer and business decision-maker drivers and behaviors related to energy consumption, product selection, brand loyalty and CSR. And that’s allowed us to do highly effective creative campaign work for our clients – campaigns like Wasting Water Is Weird and Avoid Energy Drama.

So here are some of our most interesting consumer insights (with the stats to back them up) from the past year that you may have seen but forgotten. Take a second look – you just might find a little gem that you can use to energize your marketing program.

• 64% of Americans believe in climate change, and 52% of us feel anxious about it. [Eco Pulse 2016]
• 90% think the average person should be taking concrete steps to reduce his/her environmental impact. [Eco Pulse 2016]
• 73% say it’s important for the government to be investing in more renewable energy. [Energy Pulse 2016]
• 69% say it’s important/very important that utilities make an effort to generate or purchase at least some part of their power via renewable energy sources. [Energy Pulse 2016]
• 74% of Americans say that companies should continue to prioritize reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and 81% say companies should continue investing in renewable energy, regardless of what the EPA does. [March 2017 Overnight Poll of 400 Americans]

• The average number of green activities has steadily increased (from 11 activities in 2014 to 13 in 2016). [Eco Pulse 2016]
• Almost three-quarters (73%) say they’re searching for greener products (the highest % in 8 years). [Eco Pulse 2016]
• 45% say buying/using eco-friendly products is an important part of their personal image. [Eco Pulse 2016]
• 74% say a company’s environmental reputation impacts their purchase decisions. [Eco Pulse 2016]

• Americans say energy conservation is important:
  • 64% say energy conservation is important in the way it affects their daily purchase choices and activities. [Energy Pulse 2016]
  • 68% think that personal energy conservation habits can make a real difference in preventing climate change. [Energy Pulse 2016]
• Yet, 45% admit they’ve done nothing to improve the efficiency of their homes. [Energy Pulse 2015]
• In fact, the average number of energy-efficient home improvements is actually declining (from 3.4 in 2013, to 2.9 in 2016); trends for almost all activities are on the decline. [Energy Pulse 2016]
• Why?
  • 47% think their homes are already efficient – they don’t realize that they have a problem. [Energy Pulse 2016]
  • 84% say they know only a little or nothing about what to do to improve home energy efficiency. [Energy Pulse 2016]
  • Even the people most concerned about the environment – the people most actively engaged in green products and behaviors – don’t know that their homes have the greatest environmental impact. Only 6% of us think that the number one man-made cause of climate change is the energy we use in our homes. [Energy Pulse 2016]
    • In 2014, 30% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions were created by generating electricity.
  • Most people much prefer to spend money on aesthetics.
  • 61% say saving money is among their top 3 reasons for doing energy-efficient improvements. [Energy Pulse 2016] But we’ve lied to them: many don’t save money.

• 83% are searching for greener products (vs. 73% overall).
• Buying/using eco-friendly products is an important part of their personal image (51% vs. 45% overall).
• And while 93% of Millennials think the average person should be taking concrete steps to reduce his/her environmental impact, they tend to be somewhat pessimistic about climate change in particular … and we think that’s holding them back from action.

Please share away, or keep them all for yourself – we won’t judge.