When marketing to green consumers, it is useful to note that while their knowledge of green issues can be important, it is not the main motivational factor behind changing their behaviors. This is according to the “Green Living Pulse” study, recently released by the Shelton Group. Through the study, Shelton discovered that consumers’ concern about green topics does not seem to be directly related to the accuracy of their knowledge.

First, though, a bit of context from founder Suzanne Shelton: She explains that Shelton conducts four national consumer studies a year to keep its finger on the pulse of shifting attitudes and behaviors around energy and the environment. “We’ve noticed that about three-quarters of the population consistently pops up as participating in at least some green attitudes and behaviors, and the ‘Earthsense Eco-Insights’ study confirmed this,” she says. “So we reached out to the 77 percent of the population identified as green buyers in the most recent ‘Eco-Insights’ study of 30,000 consumers and probed deeper on knowledge vs. behaviors, attitudes, and messaging responsiveness.”

Through the course of the study, Shelton busted six big myths that marketers have long held true about green consumers:
1. Green consumers’ top concern is the environment. When asked to identify their top concern, the economy, by far, is number one, with 59% calling it their top concern. The environment falls far behind at 8%.

2. Green consumers’ main motivation when reducing their energy use is to save the planet. When asked the most important reason to reduce energy consumption, 73% chose “to reduce my bills/control costs,” and only 26% chose “to lessen my impact on the environment.”

3. Green consumers are all-knowledgeable about environmental issues. For example, the survey asked, “From what you have read or heard about CO2 (carbon dioxide), please place a check beside any of the following statements you think are true.” Almost half (49%) chose the incorrect answer, “It depletes the ozone layer.”

4. Green consumers fall into a simple demographic profile. While the study detected some demographic tendencies, it found that green consumers aren’t easily defined by their age, income, or ethnicity. Instead, the survey found that green consumers generally share one of two mindsets. The Engaged Green Mindset is marked by optimism, extroversion, and a propensity to try new things—and is more likely to respond to themes of innovation and possibility. The Mainstream Green Mindset is more pessimistic, introverted, and apt to like things known and tried—responding to themes of security and reliability.

5. Children play a big part in influencing their parents to be green. Only 20% of respondents with children said their kids encouraged them to be greener—promoting recycling and turning off the lights, for example.

6. If people just knew the facts, they’d make greener choices. “Green Living Pulse” shows that knowledge does not always lead to behavior. Individuals who answered all of the science questions correctly did report participating in a significantly higher average number of green activities, such as driving a fuel-efficient car or lowering their thermostat. However, the 25 to 34 age group consistently answered the question correctly, yet, on average, their green activity levels were lower than those of older respondents.

Says Shelton, “The moral of the story is this: Many marketers and, frankly, advertising agencies, are stereotyping green consumers and embracing many of these myths as fact. If green messages were simply better targeted, more people would be buying green products, conserving electricity, and doing more to save the planet. If you’ve got a green ad campaign in the market now and you don’t feel like it’s driving inquiries the way it should, it’s a good bet it’s because the campaign is founded on myth rather than fact.”

More information on the study is available at “Green Living Pulse.”