I am frequently being asked how the Chinese feel about Global warming and if
they care about green products or green companies.
In “Toxic Capitalism” I refer to a study done by The Carbon Trust. It made a survey of
2,800 young people across six countries that found that 83% of eighteen- to twenty-five-year-olds in China would be more loyal to a brand if
they could see it was reducing its carbon footprint. Just 57% of U.S. respondents and 55% of young people in the U.K. made the same claim.
Globally, 78% of young people said they want their favorite brands to reduce their carbon footprint, but again the Chinese showed the highest
demand for emission reductions, with 88% calling on firms to cut their footprint.
In the FCCC Environment Newsletter No 35 (done by my friend
Michel Lens), another survey confirms the trend, see here the full text:
The vast majority of Chinese believe climate change is taking place
and most consumers are willing to pay more for eco-friendly products to reduce its effects, a survey by the Center for China Climate Change
Communication has found. Some 93% of respondents said climate change is under way, while about three out of five respondents feel they have
been directly affected by it. The study of 4,169 Chinese adults was carried out from July to September.
About 68.4% of respondents said they
thought China has already suffered from the effects of climate change, while about half of respondents said it will affect people in rural
areas more.
About 90% of respondents said the government should have prime responsibility for dealing with climate change, followed by the
public, media, companies and NGOs. Zheng Baowei, Director of Renmin University’s Research Center of Journalism and Social Development, said
the government should play a dominant role in adopting measures and designing policies in line with the public’s expectations and interests.
More than 93.4% of respondents felt they have knowledge of climate change, while just 6.6% said they had never heard of it. About 60% thought
climate change is mainly caused by human activities, while 33% considered it to be mainly caused by the environment. Some 87% of those
surveyed said they were willing to pay more for greener products, while more than 34% said they would accept a 30% price rise to buy such
products. More than four out of five respondents said they supported the government in setting standards for mandatory garbage separation and
waste recycling, adopting greener materials for construction, and producing greener cars, even if it means higher costs. Only 34% of
respondents said they separated their garbage, the China Daily reports.