Earth Day 2014 – In Our Multicultural Society

In celebration of the 44th annual Earth Day, DDB Worldwide today announced findings from the 2014 DDB Life Style Study (LSS), which indicates that across both attitudinal and behavioral measures, race is one of the best predictors of “green” living. The LSS survey compares U.S. adults from among four racial groups – those who identify as White, Black, Hispanic, or Asian – and reveals that by a significant measure, Asians show the highest levels of agreement with stated beliefs and intentions about doing the right thing for the environment.

According to the DDB Life Style Study data, over 75% of U.S. Asian adults agree that recycling is important and that they make a strong effort to recycle everything they possibly can. In addition, 62% of U.S. Asian adults say they use a refillable water bottle when they drink water outside of the home, compared with only 52% of U.S. White adults.

Asian adults are willing to pay more for an environmentally safe version of a product than White adults (57% vs. 44%). They are also significantly more likely to make a special effort to buy from businesses that are environmentally conscious than any other racial group, with 54% of Asians doing so, versus 36% of Whites, 43% of Blacks, and 46% of Hispanics. Furthermore, they are much more likely than other racial groups to admit that a business’s social or environmental practices are important to them (59% vs. 50% for Whites and Hispanics and 48% for Blacks).

Finally, when it comes to deciding what’s best for the environment over what’s best for the individual, 60% of U.S. Asians say they would be willing to accept a lower standard of living to conserve energy.  Only 50% of U.S. Hispanics, 46% of U.S. Blacks, and 41% of U.S. Whites are willing to make the same sacrifice.

Denise Delahorne, SVP/Group Strategy Director of DDB U.S., commented, “It’s important to consider another demographic variable that influences these results, and that is education. U.S. Asians are much more likely than other racial groups in the United States to be college educated.”

The study finds distinct differences between those who have completed college and those who have not when comparing green attitudes and behaviors across highest levels of education completed.

Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Earth Day is a good time to remember that it can also save the planet.

The DDB Life Style Study® is the nation’s longest running and largest longitudinal study of attitudes and behaviors. Conducted annually since 1975, the sample is balanced to the U.S. Census on gender, age, and race. This proprietary survey, with its 600+ questions, enables DDB to provide exceptional insight into American consumer attitudes and behaviors. The 2014 study was fielded among 7,020 respondents during January 2014. ©2014 DDB Worldwide Communications Group Inc.

 

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