Yale and George Mason University conducted a nationally representative survey of 2,164 American adults in Fall 2008 exploring actions that were currently being taken, barriers and attitudes toward actions for reducing climate change.
They divide the Energy-Efficiency Actions, which represent changes such as purchasing a more efficient heater, more efficient car, or CFL, and Energy-Conservation Actions which represent behavior changes such as turning off unneeded lights, setting more conservative thermostat levels, using public transportation, or walking instead of driving.
They found that over 90% of Americans regularly turn off unneeded lights, but only 20% often take alternative transit instead of driving. The primary motivation for green behavior was saving money and energy, but many people also cited reducing global warming, acting morally, and feeling as important.
Approximately half of Americans feel that if most people in the United States or developed world take conservation steps, we can significantly reduce our contribution to global warming.
The full paper is entitled “Saving energy at home and on the road: A survey of Americans’ energy saving behaviors, intentions, motivations, and barriers” and is available here
Overall, this is a good study for figuring out the current state of energy conservation in the United States. It shows that many Americans do care about the environment and are willing to make personal changes in their lives to reduce climate change. It also shows that they are willing spend money on devices and technologies that are more energy efficient, and may also be willing to buy, install, and use technologies that help them monitor their own energy usage or transportation choices.
