[Sosfbay-discuss] Research: Hassles, negative feedback effect green actions

[Drew Johnson]

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Research: Hassles, negative feedback effect green actions
By Matt Nauman
Mercury News
Article Launched: 08/27/2008 05:44:02 PM PDT

Green Energy
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Kermit the Frog sang that it's not easy being green. Now researchers want
to know why — and what will motivate people to try harder.

Even consumers who identify themselves as environmentalists don't always
act on those beliefs, a new study shows, put off by high prices and the
hassles of buying green products. And a Santa Clara University researcher
says negative feedback in how-green-am-I surveys sometimes keep people
from taking positive steps.

In a study by Forrester Research, based in Cambridge, Mass., nearly 61,000
U.S. and Canadian residents were interviewed this year on various green
topics. Their responses confirmed that climate-change issues are
increasingly on people's minds, revealing that 60 percent of people are
concerned about the environment; almost half (45 percent) are worried
about global warming, and only one in seven people think that governments
should solve the problem.

To Ted Schadler, a Forrester vice president and principal analyst, that
leaves 85 percent of the people surveyed with a sense of some personal
responsibility about fighting global warming.

Still, as his "Green Attitudes Don't Guarantee Green Actions" research
shows, feeling green isn't enough. "It's easier to feel green than to act
green,'' Schadler writes.

"Feeling green doesn't cost any time or money or force you to change your
habits or accept something new or different."

Here's Schadler's reasoning: In the survey, most people

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said they recycle paper, bottles and cans (63 percent) and have bought
energy-efficient light bulbs (57 percent). These are actions where the
hassle factor is low.
But just 14 percent said they've brought toxic materials to a community
recycling center, just 11 percent recycled their last TV or PC and only 7
percent say they've paid more for an energy-efficient appliance.

"These actions have a much higher hassle factor," Schadler said. "And
asking consumers to spend a premium on a green product is the most
hassle-filled commitment at all."

For both policy-makers and marketers, understanding what motivates people
to adopt more environmentally progressive actions is crucial. But experts
say there's no simple answer.

Santa Clara University assistant professor of psychology Amara Brook
believes a better understanding of global warming and a knowledge of the
impact of specific actions is helpful.

And while Americans love their sense of independence — "we idolize the
Marlboro man, the independent cowboy thing" — the positive influence of
social pressure can't be discounted, she said, citing the "green chic" of
the Toyota Prius hybrid as an example.

But a key factor, according to a paper written by Brook and Jennifer
Crocker of the University of Michigan — who presented their findings at
the American Psychological Association's annual meeting in Boston this
month— is whether you're a committed environmentalist or not.

Take the World Wildlife Fund's Ecological Footprint calculator, for
example. Brook and Crocker found that when those who already are concerned
about the environment got a low rating on the Ecological Footprint
calculator — which asks them about what they eat, what they drive and how
they live — they tended to resolve to do better and to take more green
actions.

"For them, hearing negative stuff was motivational,'' Brook said. She
knows this because they asked participants to do something green, in this
case write a letter. But for those who weren't already invested in being
green, getting a sense they weren't doing well environmentally tended to
prompt them to do nothing or even reject the idea of doing more. Those
folks either didn't write a letter, didn't write it on the green topic or
even wrote an anti-environmental letter.

Brook's research is based on two studies of undergraduate students at the
University of Michigan, where she worked before she was hired at SCU in
2005. As a psychologist with a background in environmental science, she's
fascinated by what motivates people to act environmentally and the
conflicts that exist in their daily lives. It's the notion of "people not
defining themselves as green doing green things, and others that said they
were green and drove SUVs and had big houses," she said.

Her study notes the apparent disparity between attitude and action. While
a majority of Americans consider themselves environmentalists, just 13
percent have contributed money to green causes and only 14 percent use
alternative transportation, according to past studies.

That suggests, she writes, "that only a small minority of those who want a
healthier environment and consider themselves environmentalists engage in
environmentally sustainable behavior." Knowing how to increase those
actions is "essential" for future improvement, she said.

"We need to recognize that people have a limited time to think about and
deal with these things. Asking people to even spend a little more time (on
green issues) is a big deal."

Contact Matt Nauman at (408) 920-5701 or mnauman at mercurynews.com.