December 15, 2010

The common perception of China is a culture so hell-bent on economic growth that it doesn’t have time for the luxury of environmental awareness. That view needs to be revised if a raft of recent surveys of Chinese attitudes to the environment are to be believed.  Study after study has found that Chinese consumers are in fact significantly greener than their western counterparts when it comes to concern for the environment and preparedness to act on global warming.

As the number of Americans worried about climate change declines, Chinese consumers are undergoing a green revolution according to a survey by market research company Nielsen and Oxford University.  31% of Chinese consumers identify the environment as a higher priority than the economy, compared to 17% of U.S. consumers and 28% of UK consumers. The number of Chinese consumers who describe themselves as “very concerned” about the environment has increased in the last year from 30% to 36%.