'Green Choice' Is Still A Middle Class Affair

Recent MORI qualitative research, conducted for the National Consumer Council (NCC) has found that being environmentally friendly is much more accessible for the middle classes. Yet, people on the lowest incomes are just as willing as the better off to use more sustainable goods and services.

Sustainable products and services are seen as the expensive option. However consumers, from whichever social class, want a choice among a range of sustainable products, rather than a choice between products that are sustainable and those that are not.

People see government and industry as key players in making sustainable consumption easier for consumers. They want to see government taking the lead in promoting sustainable consumption and, when necessary, passing legislation to enforce sustainable consumption policies. Industry and business have a powerful role in promoting sustainable product design; developing renewable energy resources; and cutting packaging.

Key findings show:

• Choosing green is often more expensive -- for someone managing on Job Seekers Allowance of 16354/week, an energy-saving light bulb, costing up to 1635, is a tenth of their weekly income. Many people just can't afford the extra money to buy organic food or energy efficient washing machines. "[You can] buy in energy-saving light bulbs, but they're expensive so you've got to have the money in the first place to make the saving in the long run..."
• Going green is more difficult for low-income consumers. Access to basic facilities -- such as reliable public transport or kerbside recycling -- are more limited. Furthermore, the lack of such facilities can pose further problems for residents in deprived areas. "And if they don't turn up, your bottles would be up the end of the road at the end of the night smashed up." Woman, parent, Manchester.
• Being green is not a high priority. Although many are interested in acting more sustainably, and seeing improvements in their local environment, the reality is that habit, confusion, convenience and cost can over-ride concerns about the environment. "You grab whatever you can because you haven't got time... because you've got loads of things to do before you get home." Woman, 18-24, Manchester

Technical details

Eight focus groups were held in four contrasting locations across England: a rural location, a market town, a large housing estate in the North and London. Participants were drawn from a mixture of lifestages and social classes. The research took place in March 2003.