First-of-its-kind 14-country study ranks consumers according to environmental behavior

While the survey found encouraging signs that individuals in all the surveyed countries feel empowered when it comes to the environment and are taking some action in their daily lives to reduce consumption and waste, it found that those in developing countries are the most concerned and that the behavior and personal choices of consumers in developing countries were more environmentally friendly than those in developed countries.

Consumers in developing countries feel more responsible for environmental problems than those in developed countries, and six in 10 people in developing countries report that environmental problems are negatively affecting their health — twice as many as in most developed countries. Moreover, consumers in developing countries feel strongest that global warming will worsen their way of life in their lifetime, are the most engaged when it comes to talking and listening about the environment, feel the most guilt about their environmental impact and are willing to do the most to minimize that impact. Their behavior reflects their concern. People in developing countries are more likely to:

• Live in smaller residences;
  
  
• Prefer green products and own relatively few appliances or expensive electronic devices;
  
  
• Walk, cycle, or use public transportation, and choose to live close to their most common destination.
  
  

By contrast, consumers in developed countries, who have more environmentally friendly options to choose from, often don’t make those choices.

• They have larger homes and are more likely to have air-conditioning.
  
  
• They generally own more cars, drive alone most frequently and use public transport infrequently.
  
  
• They are least likely to buy environmentally friendly products and to avoid environmentally unfriendly products.
  
  

U.S. consumers scored worse than those in any other country, developing or developed, on housing, transportation and goods. They are by far the least likely to use public transportation, to walk or bike to their destinations or to eat locally grown foods. They have among the largest average residence size in the survey. Only 15 percent say they minimize their use of fresh water.

Discover Your Greendex Score

Individuals around the world can find out where they rank on the Greendex scale by visiting nationalgeographic.com/greendex and taking an abbreviated survey. They can also examine the Greendex survey results by country, measure their knowledge of some basic green issues against what others around the world know, and get tips on living a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. “National Geographic has been committed to caring for the environment for many years, and part of our mission is to help people understand how they can reduce their impact on the planet. We hope people will be inspired to look at how their own behavior is affecting the environment and take steps to minimize their environmental footprint,” the Society’s Terry Garcia said.