Green Consumers Willing to Spend a Little More This Holiday Season

Robin Shreeves — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:00:11 +0000

My favorite radio station is usually giving the news every morning just about the time I’m making my boys’ lunches. Lately, I’ve been flipping the station as soon as I hear the news start. It’s a variation on a theme each morning. The Dow is down. One bank or another is failing. The government is considering bailing out one industry or another. Consumer confidence is hitting record lows, and even the holiday season won’t reverse that. People will be spending a lot less than they have in previous years.

A study of Americans done by the retailer Plow & Hearth, however, shows that some consumers - green consumers - are willing to spend a little more to buy a product that is environmentally friendly. According to an article on Portland Business Journal the study found that

About two-thirds of those going green this year say they are willing to spend between 10 percent and 25 percent more to by ecofriendly holiday green gifts.

Here are a few other statistics that the study found:

55% of women are likely to purchase green products
45% of men are likely to purchase green products
Middle-aged and younger people are more likely to buy green than older people
Those who live in the West are more likely to buy eco-friendly than other parts of the country
34% said that money is the most important factor when it comes to deciding about purchasing an eco-friendly product

So what can we conclude from this?

Green Options » Plow Hearth

Green Consumers Willing to Spend a Little More This Holiday Season