Sustainability and environmental issues are as important as ever for Americans, with three-quarters citing sustainability as an important consideration when shopping for any product.

Key Takeaways

Half of Ipsos Online Community gen pop members feel sustain- ability is a shared responsibility between companies and consumers, and 40% have made changes in their day-to-day lives over the past couple years due to increased awareness of the issue.

Ipsos research breaks down groups in the U.S. and their differing degrees of concern toward sustainability.

Americans rank sustainability and environmental issues as highly as they have for years, even during COVID and among other current top-of-mind issues like inflation

In fact, 78% of Ipsos Online Community members currently cite sustainability as an important consideration when shopping for any product.

Though it still can be polarizing and sometimes difficult to define, they feel sustainability is a smart decision even when it’s not an easy one.

While the impetus to enact change falls to the government and companies, Americans also recognize that change begins with them, and many have already adopted small, everyday habits to address their sustainability concerns. These everyday efforts can inspire companies and individuals to continue to push the needle toward positive change.

To better understand the current landscape of sustainability, including its perceived importance among other top-of-mind issues and solutions to addressing it, Ipsos segmented its syndicated U.S. community by their level of concern about the environment to uncover common and realistically actionable means to become and stay more sustainable, whether through the government, large companies, or individual citizens.

Whether compared to the years before COVID or six months ago, Americans find sustainability to be as important an issue today as ever, even as other concerns like product availability and price increases are on the rise.

Naturally, various facets of the American population have differing degrees of concern toward the topic of sustainability

The Ipsos Global Sustainability Segmentation has defined these populations as:

These segments also tend to hold habits that closely reflect their concern over the issue. For instance, Activists have higher concern and are also doing more to combat concerns over sustainability, whereas Disengaged Denialists react conversely.

While groups like Busy Bystanders and Disengaged Denialists tend to feel that issues such as aiding the economy should take precedence over sustainability and environmental concerns, it is interesting to note that three in 10 of the least sustainability-engaged Americans still consider themselves sustainable consumers and believe that companies are not doing enough to support sustainability practices.

Authors: Tyler Fields, Lauren Golembeski, Lauren Goodman

Americans rank sustainability and environmental issues as highly as they have for years, even during COVID and among other current top-of-mind issues like inflation.

Are Americans actually supporting sustainability?

Sustainability and environmental issues are as important as ever for Americans, with three-quarters citing sustainability as an important consideration when shopping for any product.

Ipsos research breaks down groups in the U.S. and their differing degrees of concern toward sustainability.

Key Takeaways

Americans rank sustainability and environmental issues as highly as they have for years, even during COVID and among other current top-of-mind issues like inflation

In fact, 78% of Ipsos Online Community members currently cite sustainability as an important consideration when shopping for any product.

Though it still can be polarizing and sometimes difficult to define, they feel sustainability is a smart decision even when it’s not an easy one. While the impetus to enact change falls to the government and companies, Americans also recognize that change begins with them, and many have already adopted small, everyday habits to address their sustainability concerns. These everyday efforts can inspire companies and individuals to continue to push the needle toward positive change.

To better understand the current landscape of sustainability, including its perceived importance among other top-of-mind issues and solutions to addressing it, Ipsos segmented its syndicated U.S. community by their level of concern about the environment to uncover common and realistically actionable means to become and stay more sustainable, whether through the government, large companies, or individual citizens.

The Importance of Sustainability (%)

Naturally, various facets of the American population have differing degrees of concern toward the topic of sustainability

The Ipsos Global Sustainability Segmentation has defined these populations as:

Overview of segments across two dimensions — level of concern and action / engagment

A tiny plant growing in the soil, outdoors

(T2B Extremely/Somewhat Important)

Paying a fair price

Product availability

Which brand makes it

Where it is manufactured

How sustainable it is

How uniue it is

Before COVID–19

Late 2022

Early 2023

Disengaged Denialists 19%

Conflicted Contributors 18%

Busy Bystanders 16%

Pragmatists 29%

Activists 17%

- Active / engaged +

- Level of Concern +

Tyler Fields Senior Director, Ipsos Online Communities tyler.fields@ipsos.com

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Concered about the environment but their financial situation takes precedence.

Older and affluent. Concerned about the enviornment and will take action through low-cost, home-oriented actions. Will compromise if necessary.

Younger and more likely to be female. Believe environment is at critical stage and the world must act now. Will compromise lifestyle for environment.

Activists

Pragmatists

Conflicted Contributors

Busy Bystanders

Disengaged Denialists

Think concern for climate change is overblown. See many barriers to action on climate change, believing that it is inconvenient, expensive and not a priority.

Environment is either not a concern, not immediate or largely overblown. Less inclined to take environmental action nor believe government/companies should act.

Repeating icons of a person symbol representing an amount of 78%

Source: Ipsos U.S. Syndicated Community, March 2023, n = 965

Authors: Tyler Fields, Lauren Golembeski, Lauren Goodman

Americans rank sustainability and environmental issues as highly as they have for years, even during COVID and among other current top-of-mind issues like inflation.