While Nine In Ten American Homeowners (91%) Agree That It's Important To Reduce Their Environmental Impact, Nearly All (98%) Agree That It's Important To Reduce Energy Use In Their Homes To Save Money

New York, NY - It appears that when it comes to their homes, Americans might be ready to usher in the `green' era. According to a new poll among American homeowners conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of Icynene, while nine in ten Americans (91%) agree that it is important for them to reduce their impact on the environment wherever possible, nearly all (98%) agree that it is important to reduce energy use in their homes to save money.

Despite this apparent environmental concern, however, it seems to go hand in hand with financial prudence. While 12% of Americans say that they would spend additional funds to make their home more environmentally-friendly, whether it saved them money in the long run or not, the vast majority (73%) say that they would only spend more money if they would make it back in savings. One in ten (15%) Americans say nothing would make them spend more money to make their house more environmentally-friendly.

Adjusting thermostat, driving less

The survey found most (89%) homeowners either have or will be taking at least some steps to reduce their environmental impact at home due to rising energy costs:

• More than 8 in 10 (83%) homeowners have or will be turning the thermostat down/up by five degrees or more
• More than 8 in 10 (86%) homeowners have or will be reducing their automobile use
• Two-thirds (64%) of homeowners have or will be turning off the furnace or air conditioner (for some period of time)
• Six in ten (62%) have or will be investing in energy efficient upgrades worth $1,000 or more, such as adding insulation

Women, Northeast score high marks for environmental action

According to the survey, women are more likely than men, and homeowners in the Northeast are far more likely than those in the Midwest to be environmentally conscious and active:

• Women (51%) are much more likely than men (33%) to `completely agree' that it's important for them to reduce their impact on the environment whenever possible
• Women (49%) are far more likely than men (34%) to agree that they are deeply concerned about rising energy costs and are taking a number of significant steps to reduce energy consumption at home
• Women (58%) are more likely than men (46%) to agree that news about climate change has caused them to become more energy efficient at home
• Homeowners in the Midwest (43%) and the South (42%) are the most likely and those in the West (31%) and Northeast (34%) least likely to agree that they do not know much about environmental issues and the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on the environment
• Homeowners in the Northeast (44%) are the most likely and those in the Midwest (34%) least likely to give themselves a `great' rating (seven or higher on a scale of one to nine) when asked to rate the actions/behaviours of their family in terms of how environmentally-friendly they are in the home
• Homeowners in the Northeast (71%) are the most likely and those in the Midwest (62%) least likely to agree that a `desire to save the planet for future generations' has caused them to become `a great deal more' or `somewhat more' energy efficient and to reduce their environmental impact at home

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted from July 5 to July 9, 2008. This online survey of 1000 American homeowners was conducted via the Ipsos I-Say Online Panel, Ipsos Reid's national online panel. The results are based on a sample where quota sampling and weighting are employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the actual American population according to Census data. Quota samples with weighting from the Ipsos online panel provide results that are intended to approximate a probability sample. An unweighted probability sample of this size, with a 100% response rate, would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

For more information on this news release, please contact: Sean Simpson Research Manager Ipsos Reid Public Affairs (416) 572-4474 [email protected]

About Ipsos Public Affairs Ipsos Public Affairs is one of the company's five research specializations. In the US, it has offices in New York City, Washington, DC, Chicago and Seattle. It specializes in corporate reputation, issues management, strategic communications and sociopolitical trends, serving the needs of corporations, non-profit organizations, public relations firms, news media and governments. Its toolbox for conducting tailor-made solutions includes rapid turnaround quantitative polling, qualitative focus groups, online panels, elite and stakeholder interviewing, syndicated subscriptions, and proprietary research techniques. Ipsos Public Affairs is well known as the polling partner of The Associated Press, the world's oldest and largest news organization.

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