Consumers Would Rather Use Less Energy Than Pay More Taxes for the Environment
Our Privacy Policy has been updated! The Conference Board uses cookies to improve our website, enhance your experience, and deliver relevant messages and offers about our products. Detailed information on the use of cookies on this site is provided in our cookie policy. For more information on how The Conference Board collects and uses personal data, please visit our privacy policy. By continuing to use this Site or by clicking "ACCEPT", you acknowledge our privacy policy and consent to the use of cookies. 

Consumers Would Rather Use Less Energy Than Pay More Taxes for the Environment

/ Quick Take

Insight for What’s Ahead 

The Consumer Confidence Survey® of 2,145 US respondents shows most consumers are willing to change their energy consumption at home, while fewer are willing to change their habits/lifestyle or try sustainable brands/products.

Looking Ahead

Insight for What’s Ahead 

The Consumer Confidence Survey® of 2,145 US respondents shows most consumers are willing to change their energy consumption at home, while fewer are willing to change their habits/lifestyle or try sustainable brands/products.

Looking Ahead

  • Price and convenience are important motivators of change. An earlier survey by The Conference Board showed that most consumers are concerned about and have been affected by climate change. Businesses should explore which environmentally friendly changes their target segments would be willing to make and consider augmenting products/services to aid these lifestyle changes. Products and services that not only benefit the environment but also creatively cater to the demands of convenience and affordability can tap into this market.
  • Consumers are reluctant to pay higher taxes for clean energy. Paying more taxes to fund clean energy sources ranked lowest (12 percent) among changes people would be willing to make to positively affect the environment. This reluctance could pose a challenge to government efforts to push clean energy. To navigate this, government agencies should find a balance between funding environmental initiatives and minimizing the financial strain on taxpayers.

Author

Meenakshi Janardhanan

Meenakshi Janardhanan Meenakshi Janardhanan

Research Associate, Marketing & Communications
The Conference Board

Read Bio

Other Related Resources