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In a world with increasing pressure to protect the environment –
from the ozone layer to the whales – it would
seem reasonable to assume that American families actively support “green”
initiatives in their consumer habits.
But while American parents may be there in spirit, when it comes to time
and money, going green seems to go out the minimum-heat-gain window.
In its first PersonicX®
Consumer Dynamics study, in which Acxiom researchers analyze consumer
data to provide insight on how Americans live, Acxiom has discerned a
meaningful pattern in American households with children when it comes to
environmental behaviors.
Acxiom consumer researchers analyzed the 70 PersonicX Classic clusters
across a number of “green”
questions, such as:
“Are you willing to pay more or give up
convenience for environmentally-friendly products?”
“Have you participated in environmental
groups in the past year?”
“Do you drive a vehicle that shows your
support of the environment?”
A clear trend emerged: Children were significantly less likely to be
present in “green”
households. The highest environmentally indexing clusters fall into two
general groups, those who are younger, still single and looking for
something to take care of (which Acxiom researchers called “Greenhorns”),
and those who are more senior, still married or now single and looking
for something to take care of (“Greener
Pastures”).
In fact, when compared to the national population, Greenhorns are more
than 60 percent more likely to purchase automobiles that reflect their
support of the environment. Greener Pastures are more than 40 percent
more likely to pay more and give up convenience to purchase products
that are environmentally friendly. Though they may come from a variety
of incomes, net worth and areas of population density, these groups
undoubtedly share a heightened concern for the environment, as well as
the time to act on that concern.
This PersonicX Consumer Dynamics study indicates that many parents
direct their efforts to saving time and money –
over the environment – while raising
children, demonstrating a need for more convenient, less expensive ways
to go green.
“As a father, I understand that parents have
their hands full every day just making sure their kids eat well and act
right. They care about the environment, but it is difficult to focus on
green initiatives when their attention is taken by the here and now,”
said Louis Rolleigh, product leader of PersonicX. “But
it may also be true that companies that produce convenient,
cost-effective environmentally friendly products aren’t
getting their messages through to decisionmakers in these households.”
Greenhorns are typically 24 to 45, have no children in the home, are
renters with some homeowners mixed in, are low-middle to upper-middle
class and live in cities and city surroundings. Greener Pastures are
over the age of 66, and they may be married or single, but –
again – have no children in the home. They
are mostly homeowners with some renters, and again span the middle class
ranks, while living in rural areas as well as cities and surrounding
suburbs and towns.
“This finding is provocative,”
said Rolleigh, “because it shows us that you
don’t have to be free of financial concerns
to choose environmentally conscious behaviors. Greenhorns and Greener
Pastures span the income level of what we call ‘middle
class,’ but they are willing to pay more for
environmentally-friendly products and services. And they may be more ‘urbane’
and live in cities, but they may also be people in remote or less
populated regions of our country.”
PersonicX is a segmentation system that clusters households into 70
distinct categories and 21 life-stage groups based on various
characteristics. When analyzing the PersonicX clusters, Acxiom
researchers found there were distinct PersonicX clusters that
demonstrated green tendencies in the Greenhorn group.
Single and concentrated in the more urban areas, the members of the
Greenhorn clusters typify the online junkies, who are hooked on
caffeine, energy drinks and saving the environment. They are the most
likely to buy autos that make a green statement and are willing to pay
more for environmentally friendly products. Members of this more liberal
group, often found shopping for trendy furnishings and apparel, are
increasingly more driven to show their faces at a political rally than
they are in a voting booth.
Perhaps Greener Pastures individuals are not out rollerblading and
playing tennis like their younger counterparts, but this cohort of
seniors is very active in clubs and charitable organizations, and these
individuals, who represent multiple political parties, make sure their
voices are heard with consistent voter participation. Willing to pay
more and trade convenience for environmentally friendly products, those
with upper-middle incomes also have shown their support with monetary
contributions to environmental groups in the past year.
“We conducted this study as part of an
ongoing effort to better understand how Americans are living their lives,”
said Rolleigh. “It is one thing to analyze
how people describe their values in a survey, but it is more
enlightening to understand how they live those values through their
purchasing behavior.
“That’s where the
rubber meets the road – on a hybrid or not,”
said Rolleigh. “Values are best understood
through behavior – and consumer behavior is
an important indicator of values in U.S. households. Clearly, for
families with kids, convenience and cost come first.”
Mediamark Research and Intelligence, LLC, one of Acxiom’
data sources, provided PersonicX researchers with household information
on environmental behaviors for analysis in this study.
About PersonicX Consumer Dynamics
PersonicX Consumer Dynamics is a periodic study of how Americans live
their lives and demonstrate their values through consumer behavior.
These studies differ from other studies and analysis available in that
they focus on all U.S. consumers versus a sample and the findings are
addressable to specific individuals and households of interest.
PersonicX Consumer Dynamics studies are powered by Acxiom’s
InfoBase-X™, the largest, most
accurate, comprehensive and multi-sourced data collection of U.S.
consumer information in one source. PersonicX®
is Acxiom’s household-level segmentation
suite that places U.S. households into one of 70 distinct segments and
21 life-stage groups based upon specific consumer behavior and
demographic characteristics.
About Acxiom Corporation
At Acxiom, we make information intelligent for many of the world’s
leading and most dynamic companies, enabling them to acquire new
customers, retain their most valuable customers, communicate with
customers in the methods and times they prefer, and make profitable
marketing and business decisions. Acxiom’s
unmatched customer insight is achieved by blending the world’s
largest repository of consumer data, award-winning technology and
analytics, multi-channel expertise, privacy leadership, and superior
knowledge of a wide spectrum of industries. Founded in 1969, Acxiom
(Nasdaq: ACXM) is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, with locations
throughout the United States and Europe, and in Australia and China. For
more information about Acxiom, visit www.acxiom.com.