Who's the Greenest of them All?

Old Hippies, or former hippie-types? Flower Children of the 60's? Take a look:

Older Demographics Biggest Users of Green Products

Bucking the belief that environmentalism is a youth movement, a new survey finds that male and female consumers over age 55 are the most prolific users of green products in the United States, reports Retailer Daily.

Groups age 55+ reported above average usage of environmentally friendly home goods, according to a survey from ICOM Information & Communications.

Leading the way is the 55-59-year-old female demographic - more than twice as likely as the average consumer to use green products. Males age 65-69 are next - more than 1.7 times as likely to use than the average American.

Among the key survey findings:

• Green products have penetrated into most American homes: 61.9% of respondents said they use some type of environmentally friendly product.
• Asked why they elect to purchase eco-friendly goods, the leading response - by 33% of the group - selected the self-gratifying “makes me feel good about myself” respons.
• Asked why they elect not to purchase or use green products, 50% of non-adopters cited high prices as the main factor. The next reason selected was “I do not believe that they are that much better for the environment,” at 17%.
• Of those who said they do not use environmentally friendly products, both male and female demographics age 25-34 years were among the “least likely to use” when compared with the national average.

“While the numbers show that significant inroads have been made with the older demographics, they also suggest untapped potential in prime younger consumer groups to engage them with eco-friendly products,” remarked ICOM VP of Marketing Peter Meyers.

“Younger demographics are still green - that is, inexperienced when it comes to engaging with environmentally friendly goods,” Meyers added. “The data suggests that targeting these groups with more calculated offers - such as at slightly more aggressive price points, appealing to their personal values or reinforcing the true benefits for the environment - could introduce green products to a new, promising consumer base.”

ICOM conducted the household products survey in March and April 2008 with 6,036 people responding nationwide.

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