February 9, 2007—Research commissioned by EnviroMedia Social Marketing indicates most Americans don’t understand the connection between their own electricity use and global warming.
“More Americans have no idea what fuels their electricity than those who can name any particular source — either correctly or incorrectly,” said EnviroMedia CEO Valerie Davis. “If you don’t know leaving the lights on likely means you’re burning more coal than you need to, you probably don’t realize just how much your household decisions contribute to global warming.”
EnviroMedia’s survey, conducted by Opinion Research Corporation January 11-14, asked 1,015 Americans, “When you turn on your light switch, what fuel is the source of your electricity?” Thirty-five percent said they don’t know, while another 23 percent simply said their electricity comes from electricity or the electric company. Only 16 percent cited coal, America’s primary fuel source for electricity.
On the positive side, EnviroMedia’s research indicated most Americans are willing to phase in compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) or are already using them. When it was explained that CFLs cost significantly more than traditional incandescent bulbs but cut electricity consumption and emissions of greenhouse gases, 30 percent said they’d be willing to phase in CFLs as the other bulbs burn out, and a surprising 31 percent said they are already using CFLs.
For more information about the survey, see the EnviroMedia Social Marketing Web site.
