Green a Tough Sell in China
While hopes are high that China’s shoppers can help solve what ails the global economy, don’t count on them to do the same for the environment. Such at least is the message of a new study on China’s green movement from OgilvyEarth, a division of advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather. According to the study, which was based on a survey of 1,300 consumers, less than 24% of Chinese people believe they have the ability to personally solve environmental problems, while 69% of see the planet’s future residing in the hands of the government.
That sentiment contrasts sharply with the U.S., where 56% of consumers think they can personally make a difference environmentally and only 20% think the government in more capable of protecting the Earth. Believing they have the power to make a positive impact doesn’t mean U.S. shoppers always exercise it, Ogilvy says. Many Americans, the study notes, are afflicted with so-called “Green Guilt” – the feeling that, by purchasing a newspaper instead of reading the news online or plopping down for a flat-screen television, one has committed a sin against the environment.
Believing they have the power to make a positive impact doesn’t mean U.S. shoppers always exercise it, Ogilvy says. Many Americans, the study notes, are afflicted with so-called “Green Guilt” – the feeling that, by purchasing a newspaper instead of reading the news online or plopping down for a flat-screen television, one has committed a sin against the environment. In China, the study found, consumers are too confused to feel guilty. Despite weaving environmental messages into primary school curricula, the government hasn’t taught people how to take an active approach to preventing pollution or living sustainably, says Kunal Sinha, the study’s lead author.