Consumer Power: How The Public Thinks Lower-Carbon Behaviour Could Be Made Mainstream

Consumer Power
How the public thinks

lower-carbon behaviour
could be made mainstream
InstituteforPublicPolicyResearch RegPlattandSimonRetallack
Challengingideas– Changingpolicy September2009
2 ippr| ConsumerPower: Howthepublicthinkslower-carbonbehaviourcouldbemademainstream
Aboutippr
TheInstituteforPublicPolicyResearch(ippr)istheUK’sleadingprogressivethinktank,producing
cutting-edgeresearchandinnovativepolicyideasforajust,democraticandsustainableworld.
Since1988,wehavebeenattheforefrontofprogressivedebateandpolicymakingintheUK.Through
ourindependentresearchandanalysiswedefinenewagendasforchangeandprovidepractical
solutionstochallengesacrossthefullrangeofpublicpolicyissues.
WithofficesinbothLondonandNewcastle,weensureouroutlookisasbroad-basedaspossible,
whileourGlobalChangeprogrammeextendsourpartnershipsandinfluencebeyondtheUK,givingus
atrulyworld-classreputationforhighqualityresearch.
ippr,30-32SouthamptonStreet,LondonWC2E7RA.Tel:+44(0)2074706100E:info@ippr.org
www.ippr.org.RegisteredCharityNo.800065
ThispaperwasfirstpublishedinSeptember2009.©ippr2009
Abouttheauthors
RegPlattisaResearcherinippr’sCitizens,SocietyandEconomyprogramme,withexpertisein
qualitativeresearchmethodsandaspecialistinterestinclimatechange.SimonRetallackisAssociate
DirectorandHeadofClimateChangeatippr.Hehasledippr’sresearchonbehaviourchangeand
climatepolicy.
Acknowledgements
Wewouldliketothankthefundersofthisprojectformakingitpossible:Coca-Cola,EnergySaving
Trust,JMGFoundation,PilkingtonEnergyEfficiencyTrustandtheSustainableConsumptionInstitute.
WewouldalsoliketoexpressourthankstoPatDadeandCulturalDynamicsfordonatingtheir
servicesintheuseoftheValuesModesmethodologyforrecruitingparticipantstothedeliberative
workshops,aswellastoAndrewLongandTenfordonatingtheirtimeandthatoftheirHomeEnergy
Advisorteam,whichcarriedout10homevisitsforipprtoobservetodrawlessonsforthisproject.
WeareverygratefultoDanfossRandallLtd,InvensysControlsEurope,SiemensHeatingControlsand
SolarCenturyfordonatingtheirproductsforuseinthedeliberativeworkshops.Wearealsodeeply
indebtedtothefollowingpeoplefortheirinvaluableintellectualinputduringthecourseofthe
project:PatDade,GregRowland,GillEreaut,SolitaireTownsend,BrianSamuel,AndrewLong,Fanny
Calder,ChrisPowell,JonCracknell,JimPotterandMatthewLockwood.Lastly,specialthanksto
BrookeFlanaganforherworkingettingthisprojectupandrunning,aswellastoRuthSheldon,
NaomiJonesandNaomiPollardforalltheircontributionstothequalitativeresearchaspectsofthe
project.
Contents
Executivesummary............................................................................................................. 4
1.Introduction................................................................................................................. 10
Aimsandobjectives ..................................................................................................... 10
Whichtargetaudience? ............................................................................................... 10
Whichbehaviours? ....................................................................................................... 12
Researchmethodology................................................................................................. 14
2.Perceptionsofclimatechangeandlower-carbonbehaviour ................................... 16
Climatefatigue ............................................................................................................. 16
Uncertaintyaboutthescience ..................................................................................... 16
Cynicismtowardsgovernmentandcompanies ............................................................ 16
Confusionaboutthecausesofclimatechange........................................................... 17
Confusionaboutsolutions ........................................................................................... 17
Concernsabouteffectiveness........................................................................................17
Resentmentaboutfeelingguilty................................................................................. 18
Negativeperceptionsofenvironmentally-friendlypeople ......................................... 18
Costasabarrier............................................................................................................ 19
Costasamotivator....................................................................................................... 19
Awarenessofclimatechange....................................................................................... 20
‘Doingyourbit’andadislikeofwaste ........................................................................ 20
Theimpactofparenthood ........................................................................................... 21
3.Perceptionsofspecificlower-carbonchoices............................................................ 22
Energymonitors ........................................................................................................... 22
Heatingcontrols........................................................................................................... 24
Solarpanels .................................................................................................................. 25
Energy-efficientvehicles.............................................................................................. 27
UKholidays .................................................................................................................. 30
Holidaytravelbytrain.................................................................................................. 32
Homeenergyassessments ........................................................................................... 33
4.Conclusionsandrecommendations ........................................................................... 36
Guidanceforclimate-changecommunications ........................................................... 36
Proposalsforpromotingspecificlower-carbonconsumerchoices ............................. 40
Finalthoughts.............................................................................................................. 45
References........................................................................................................................ 46
Appendix:TheNowPeople ............................................................................................. 47
Executivesummary
Changingthepublic’suseofenergyathomeandonthemoveiscriticalforreducingtheUK’soverall
emissionscontributingtoclimatechange.However,beyondtheenvironmentallyinclined,thereisa
verysubstantialgroupofpeoplewhoaredoingverylittleinresponsetocommunicationsandpolicies
designedtopromotebehavioursandchoicesthatwillreduceemissions.Thisreportpresentsthe
findingsofaninvestigationintowhythishasbeenthecase,andintohowbehaviourthatproduces
feweremissions–whichwerefertoas‘lower-carbonbehaviour’–canbestimulatedamongsome
membersofthisgroup.
Targetaudience
Thepeoplewehavetargetedinourresearch–andwhoweurgeotherstotargetwith
communications,productdevelopmentandpolicies–arecalledthe‘NowPeople’.TheNowPeople
formasubgroupintheValuesModessegmentationmodel,whichcategorisespeopleaccordingto
theirdifferentpsychologicalmotivations,drawingonAbrahamMaslow’stheoryofneeds.
NowPeopleseekpsychologicalrewardsinstatus,fashion,success,andtheesteemandrecognitionof
others.Theytendtohaveahighlevelofmotivationtoconsume,andtheirprominentpositionwithin
socialcirclesmakesthemadriveroffashionsandtrends,meaningthattheyareaparticularlypowerful
subsectionofthepopulationwhenitcomestodeterminingconsumption-relatedbehaviours.Forthis
reason,theyareoftenthetargetofmarketingcampaigns.
However,whenitcomestoclimatechange,relatedcommunications,productsandpolicieshavenot
beendesignedwithNowPeopleinmind,andsohavefailedtoprovidethemwiththecluesor
opportunitiestosatisfytheirneeds,leavingthemunengagedor‘switchedoff’fromtheissues.This
hasactedasabrakeontheadoptionoflower-carbonbehaviouracrosssociety.
Aimsandmethods
ipprconductedsixdeliberativeworkshopswithNowPeopleinLondon,YorkandjustoutsideBristol,
inlate2008andearly2009,tofindoutwhatmightmotivatethisgrouptoact.Intheseworkshops,
wegaugedperceptionsofclimatechangeandlower-carbonbehaviouringeneral,aswellasinrelation
tosixspecificlower-carbonconsumerchoices:
•Energymonitors
•Heatingcontrols
•Solarpanels
•Energy-efficientvehicles
•UKholidays
•Holidaytravelbytrain.
However,weaimedtoexploreparticipants’attitudestolower-carbonlifestyleoptionswithout
imposingan‘environmental’frameworkonthem.Assuch,theworkshopsfocusedonthethemeof
shoppingratherthanclimatechangeandcarbon.Thisenabledustoexplorethemoregeneral
processesthatparticipantsadoptwhenmakingconsumerdecisions,ratherthanfocusingsolelyon
whytheydonotchoosethelower-carbonoption.Thetopicofclimatechangewasnotintroducedas
athemefordiscussionuntiltheveryendofeachevent.
Theworkshopfindingswerecomplementedbyobservationsofhomeenergyassessmentsinthe
homesof10NowPeople,followedbyin-depthinterviewstogaugetheirreactionstoenergyadvice
tailoredtotheirownhomes.
Webelievethatthefindings,whichwesummarisebelow,willbeofvaluetoanyoneinterestedin
designingcommunications,products,servicesandpoliciesaimedatincreasingtheuptakeoflower-
carbonbehaviour–fromenergyutilitiestocarmanufacturers,trainoperatorsandtheUKtourist
trade,aswellasgovernmentandenvironmentalcampaigners.
Perceptionsofclimatechangeandlower-carbonbehaviour
Inhibitingattitudes
Manyparticipantsexpressedawearinessandfatigueaboutthesubjectofclimatechange.Manyof
theworkshopsbecamenotablylessanimatedfollowingtheintroductionofclimatechangeasatopic
fordiscussion.Somefoundtheissueveryboring.Othersdismisseditas‘faddy’and‘trendy’.
Therewasageneralacceptancethatclimatechangeishappening,andthatitisprobablydueatleast
inparttohumans,butthathumansareunlikelytobewhollyresponsible.Someconfusedclimate
changewithozonelayerdepletion,andlinkedclimatechangetorecycling,remarkingthatbyrecycling
theythoughttheywerealready‘doingtheirbit’anddidnotnecessarilyfeeltheyhadtodoanymore.
TherewasageneralcynicismaboutthemotivationsoftheGovernmentinpushingforactionon
climatechange.SeveralparticipantssuggestedthattheGovernmentcouldbeusingtheissueasa
meansofincreasingtaxation.Othershighlightedinconsistenciesandhypocrisyonthepartof
governmentandcorporations,suchasthedecisiontograntpermissionforthebuildingofthethird
runwayatHeathrow.
Manydiscussionsalsocentredontheineffectivenessofadoptingsmalllower-carbonbehaviourswhen
otherswerestillemittingelsewhere.Thiswasaverycommonperception.Themostregular‘free-riders’
referredtowereothercountries,companies,and‘otherpeoplewhowon’teverchange’.
Manyoftheparticipantsfeltthatpreviousrequestsforthemtodomorefortheenvironment,orfor
climatechange,hadmadethemfeelguiltyabouttheirlifestyles,andsomewereresentfulofthis.
Manyalsosawpeoplewhoengageinenvironmentally-friendlybehavioursas‘self-righteous’and
‘smug’.
Anoverridingperceptionwasthatwhenmakingapurchase,costisamoreimportantconsideration
thanenvironmentalimpact.Participantssaidthattherecessionhadmadecostincreasinglyimportant,
pushingenvironmentalpurchasesfurtherintosecondplace.
Encouragingattitudes
Thosewhohadalreadymadeenergy-reducingchangeshaddonesobecauseofcostandthehigh
pricesofbills.Somewerekeentofindanywaypossibleofsavingmoney,referringtotherecession
andhighfuelbillsasmajormotivators.Othersalsoexpressedadesireforgreatercontroland
autonomywithregardstotheirenergysupply,againstabackdropofhighenergyprices.
Itisworthnotingthatduringdiscussionsaboutcostsavingsthatmightbeachievedbyadopting
lower-carbonbehaviours,participantsoftensawthebenefitsastheabilitytospendthemoneysaved
onpotentiallycarbon-intensivebehaviours.
Intermsofclimatechangeitself,participantshadagoodawarenessoftheissueanditsdifferent
facets,includingmeltingicecaps,polarbearsandcarbonfootprints.Therewerealsofrequent
referencestochangestoweatherpatternsintheUK.Somereferredtotheimportanceofeveryone
‘doingtheirbit’fortheenvironment,andhowdoingthisgaveyouapositivefeeling.Several
participantsalsoexpressedastrongdislikeofwasteandpollutioningeneral.
Beingaparentappearedtoplayalargepartinparticipants’awarenessofclimatechangeandthe
extenttowhichtheyengagedinlower-carbonbehaviours.Thiswasalsoanimportantfactorinhow
theparticipantsthoughtaboutthefutureandtheconsequencesofactionstakentoday.
Perceptionsofspecificlower-carbonconsumerchoices
Energymonitors
Asignificantminorityoftheparticipantswerenotinterestedintheideaofanenergymonitor(a
devicethatshowshowmuchelectricityisbeingusedinthehomeatanygivenmoment)becausethey
believeditwouldbeannoyingandwouldstopthemrelaxing.However,mostoftheparticipants
receivedtheideapositivelybecauseofthemoneytheysawthatitcouldsavethem,oftenrelatedto
thecreditcrunchorhighenergyprices.
Ideasformarketingtheenergymonitorincludedemphasisingthatitwaslowcostandthatitcould
easilysaveyoumoney.Thebenefittotheenvironmentwasmentioned,butonlyasaminorpoint.One
groupattemptedtoincreasetheappealofsavingmoneybyemphasisingthepleasurethatcouldbe
gainedbyspendingthismoneyelsewhere.Otherssuggestedusing‘ordinarypeoplewhohappentobe
famous’,suchasthetelevisionpresentersTessDalyandVernonKay,togainmainstreamappealforthe
product.
Heatingcontrols
Theoverridingreactiontothisproductwasgeneralconfusionaboutwhatitdid.Thecontrolsoffer
additionalfunctionalitytowhatisprovidedbyexistingdomesticheatingcontrolsbutparticipantsdid
notseemanybenefitstothis.Theresultantconfusiontranslatedintoagenerallackofinterestinthe
productandofdesiretopurchaseone.Wheretheparticipantswerepositiveabouttheproduct,itwas
initsabilitytosavethemmoney,aswellasbeingeasytoinstall,andmodern.
Marketingsuggestionsfocusedonthefinancialbenefitsoftheproduct,emphasisingthewaythat
heatinginthehomewasdirectlylinkedtospendingmoney.Onegroupachievedthisbydepictinga
housewithnoheatingcontrols,withpoundsignsescapingfromthepropertylikeheat,accompanied
bytheslogan‘Yourcostscontrollingyou??Keepcontrolofyourcosts!!’.Anotherusedacelebrity
couple,LouiseandJamieRedknapp,toselltheheatingcontrols,drawingonthecouple’simageas
beingdowntoearthandfamilyoriented.
Solarpanels
Someparticipantsfeltthatdomesticsolarpanelswereunattractive,andquestionedwhethertherewas
enoughsunshineintheUKforthemtobeabletoworkwell.However,themaindisincentivewasthe
largeupfrontcost.However,participantswerepositiveaboutthepurchaseingeneral,andmany
wouldhavebeeninterestedinbuyingtheproducthaditcostless.Severalsuggestedwaysinwhich
theGovernmentcouldregulatetomakesolarpanelsmoreaccessible.Suggestionsincludedputting
panelsonallnewbuildings,offering0percentloans,andprovidingdiscountedstampdutyforhomes
withpanelsinstalled.
Indiscussionsaboutmarketingtheproduct,environmentalimpactwascitedasasecondaryorminor
benefit.Moreprominentreasonsforbuyingtheproductincludedbeingabletosavemoney,being
abletoinsulateoneselffromfluctuatingenergyprices,andusingthepanelasaninvestmenttoadd
valuetoone’sproperty.Onegroupputastrongemphasisonnormalisingtheproduct,usinganimage
ofanordinaryrowofhouseswithsolarpanelsbeingfittedtomakeitseemaccessibletoaverage
households,andnotjustthepreserveoftherich.
Activitiestoreduceemissionsfromdomesticenergyusewerealsodiscussedaspartofthe10home
energyassessmentsweobservedandthein-depthinterviewsweconducted(seePerceptionsofhome
energyassessments,p.7).
Energy-efficientvehicles
Concernsabouttheenvironmentalimpactofcarshadnotplayedasignificantroleinanyofthe
participants’previouspurchasingdecisions.Wherethisconsiderationhadplayedapartintheir
decision,thiswassecondarytoreducedrunningcostsduetoincreasedfuelefficiencyorlowerroad
taxforcars(especiallycompanyones)withhighemissions.Mostplacedastrongemphasisongood
‘valueformoney’,aswellasonqualityandreliability.Forparents,safetywasparticularlysignificant.
Thecolourandaestheticofthecarswerealsoveryimportantfactors.
Inreactiontoinformationandimagesofdifferentmodelsofcar,SUVs(sportsutilityvehicles)stood
outashavingaparticularlynegativeimage.Theywereseenasimpracticalincitiesandunsafefor
otherroadusersandpedestrians,andtheirdriversoftendescribedas‘selfish’.Meanwhile,ofthetwo
carswepresentedwithhighfuelefficiency,theHondaCivicwasbyfarthebestreceived,dueto
perceptionsthatHondawasareliablebrandandthatthelookofthecarwas‘modern’and‘stylish’.
Thecar’sfuelefficiencywasalsoimportant,andtheenvironmentalbenefitthisofferedwas
welcomed,buttheseconsiderationsweresecondary.Incontrast,themajoritywereverynegative
abouttheSmartCar,largelyduetoitsaesthetics.Itwasdescribedasa‘traineronwheels’,‘hideous’,
‘ugly’,a‘disabledcar’,a‘rollerskate’,‘smug’and‘self-righteous’.
UKholidays
Participantsoverwhelminglypreferredtotakeholidaysabroadthanathome–aboveall,becauseof
thelackofsunshineandamountofrainintheUK.Participantsconsideredhavinggood,hotweather
andaswimmingpooltobekeyingredientsforaholiday,anddidnotperceivethistypeofweatheras
guaranteedintheUK.AnotherinhibitingfactorwasthecostoftakingholidaysintheUKcompared
withthecheapflightsavailabletogotocountrieswithlowerlivingcosts.
Veryfewdiscussionssuggestedthatparticipantscouldbepersuadedtostoptakingholidaysabroad.
However,participantswerepositiveabouttakingtripsintheUKifthesewereinadditiontorather
thaninsteadofa‘properholiday’.Manyspokepositivelyaboutdifferentpartsofthecountry,suchas
Cornwall.
Holidaytravelbytrain
Manyoftheparticipantssaidtheytendedtotakeholidaysabroad,oftentomediumandlong-haul
locations,whereflyingwasoftenperceivedtobetheonlytransportoptionavailable.Flyingwasalso
seenasaverycheaptraveloption.Severalcommentedthatbeingatanairportwasexciting.This
aspectwasseldomfrequentlymentionedinrelationtoothertransportoptions,exceptwiththe
Eurostartrainlink.
Travellingbytrainwasseentoinvolvelessbotherthanflyingandasmorerelaxing,althoughtravelling
aroundBritainbytrainwassaidtobeveryexpensiveandreachingplacesoutsideofmajortownsby
traindifficult.ExceptfortakingtheEurostartoParis,travellingtoEuropeandestinationsbytrainwas
notseenasanalternativetoflying.Somealsowantedtheflexibilityofferedbytravellingbycarto
theirholidaydestinationandhavingacaronceonholiday.
Perceptionsofhomeenergyassessments
Ourobservationof10NowPeoplereceivingahomeenergyassessmenthighlightedthevalueof
providingprofessional,independent,face-to-faceinformationrelatingtoenergyusethatis
individuallytailored,usingengaginggraphicsandthermalimagery,andassessorswhomakepeople
feelcomfortable.
However,wefoundthatNowPeoplewerereluctanttopay£100–200forhomeenergyassessments
themselves,andhadmixedviewsaboutcommissioningaconciergecompanytoarrangequotesfor
themforhomeimprovementwork.Commitmenttoundertakethemeasuresrecommendedalsocame
upagainstthebarriersdiscussedinthefirstthreeconsumerchoicesdiscussedabove,fromhigh
upfrontcoststouglyaesthetics.
Generalguidanceforclimate-changecommunications
Ourresearchhasidentified10keyaspectsofNowPeopleattitudesthatshouldbetakenintoaccount
whendesigningclimate-changecommunications,asfollows:
1.Don’tfocusonclimatechange– Thestartingpointofanycommunicationseffortstoencourage
NowPeopletoadoptlower-carbonbehavioursshouldbearecognitionthatalackofawarenessof
climatechangeisnottheproblem.MostNowPeopleareaware,butthatawarenessissimplynot
motivatingenough.Othermotivationsneedtobedrawnon.Ourresearchsuggeststhiscanbe
achievedinanumberofways.
2.Focusonsavingmoneynow– Theresearchclearlysuggeststhatcommunicationsthatemphasise
themoney-savingpotentialofadoptinglower-carbonbehaviourswillbemuchmoreeffectivewith
NowPeoplethanurgingthemtotakeactiononthebasisthatitwillpreventclimatechange–
particularlyinthepresenteconomicclimate.Butsavingmoneyitselfcouldbemademoreappealing–
forexample,byemphasisingthepleasurablethingsthatthemoneysavedcanbespenton.
3.Preventthereboundeffect– Takecaretopreventa‘reboundeffect’inwhichpeoplespendthe
moneytheyhavesavedonother,potentiallyhigh-carbon,purchases,suchasflying.Topreventthis
effect,itmaybenecessarytoensurethatcommunicationsrefertotheneedtoreduce‘carbon
pollution’ratherthan‘emissions’orusehumourtosatirisehigh-carbonbehaviours,whilemaking
lower-carbonchoicesdesirable(theseideasareexplainedinpoints4–6below).
4.Talkaboutcarbonpollution,notC02 emissions– Thechoiceoflanguageisimportant.Referringto

(dirty)‘pollution’islikelytohavemoreimpactthanreferringto(invisible)‘emissions’.Similarly,
‘carbon’,widelyperceivedasblackanddirty,mayalsobemoreeffectiveterminologytousethan
invisible‘carbondioxide’.
5.Satirisehigh-carbonbehaviours– NowPeoplecouldbediscouragedfromcontinuingparticular
high-carbonbehavioursthroughhumourandtheuseofgentlemockery,sarcasmandsatire–
associatinghigher-carbonchoiceswithunattractivepersonalities.Thiscanhelpmakethesechoices
undesirableandmakeavailablearangeofalternative(lower-carbon)behavioursfromwhichNow
Peoplecanchooseforthemselves,leavingthemwiththesensethattheystillhaveroomforself-
expression,whichtheyprize.Comedyprogrammescanbeparticularlyinfluentialinthisregard.Now
People’smaindriveistolookcooltoothers,andtheytendtonoteanythingthatdetractsfromtheir
imageandactuponitquickly,tomaintainorchangetheperceptionsofothers.
6.Makeitdesirable–Anotherwaytoovercomethereboundeffectisthroughthecontinuousre-
creationofsustainableproductsandbehavioursinto‘objectsofdesire’–theverythingthatturned
thepollutingcarintosomethingthatNowPeople‘hadtohave’.Inthesedifficulteconomictimes,
thesecouldperhapsbedepictedasthetechnologiesandbehavioursof‘fashionableausterity’.
7.Rememberthatbeingincontrolmatters– NowPeopleareexperiencinganxietyabouthighand
fluctuatingenergyprices(includingtheroleofenergycompanieswithinthissituation),andinsecurity
andadesireforcontrol,duetoturbulencewithintheeconomyandfinancialsystem.Thisoffersthe
potentialforeffectivecommunicationsonlower-carbonbehaviours.NowPeoplemayrespondwellto
communicationsemphasisinghowenergy-savingmeasurescanoffer‘control’overenergycostsand
independencefromenergycompanies.
8.Makeitfun– Communicationsthatarefunandhumorousarefarmorelikelytocaptureand
sustaintheattentionofNowPeoplethancommunicationsthatareoverlyserious.
9.Avoidguiltandthe‘environmental’label–Communicationsthatpromotefeelingsofguiltshould
beavoided,asthesedriveNowPeopletodisengage.Communicationsshouldavoidsaying‘Youare
notdoingenough’or‘Youarenottakingresponsibility’,butshouldacknowledgeandpraisethe
actionsthatNowPeoplearealreadyundertaking,andbuildonthose.AsNowPeopletendtodescribe
peoplewhoengageinlower-carbonbehaviourasbeing‘smug’anddifferenttothem,communications
mustalsopromotelower-carbonbehavioursasbeing‘normal’forNowPeople,whilestilloffering
themsomethingatwhichtheycanexcel.
10.Usemessengersthat‘keepitreal’– Participantsputaclearemphasisonusingcelebritieswho
NowPeopletrustandassociatewithaspeers,ratherthanhigher-rankingcelebrities,suchaspopor
filmstars.ThissupportsthenotionofneedingtonormalisebehavioursforNowPeople.Itisalso
notablethatnoneoftheparticipantssuggestedenvironmentalorganisationsselllower-carbon
products.Thebrandimageofthesegroupsisnot,norshouldbe,forNowPeopleaspurveyorsof
objectsofdesire:thisisasteptoofarforthem.
Proposalsforencouragingspecificlower-carbonbehaviours
Thecommunicationsandpoliciesneededtoincreasetheuptakeofspecificlower-carbonbehavioursby
NowPeopleshouldsupporteachother.Itiscriticalthatgovernmentensuresconsistencybetweenthe
messagesandpoliciesthatitadopts.Duetothemistrustofgovernmentthatexists,changesalsoneed
tobeintroducedtransparently,andanyrevenuesraisedfromtaxinghigh-carbonactivitiesshouldbe
usedtomakelower-carbonoptionscheaper.NowPeoplewillinstinctivelyrejectstealthtaxes.Policy
frameworksarealsoneededtoensureinnovationinthedesignoflower-carbonproductsandservices
toattractNowPeople,givenhow,alltoofrequently,aestheticsactasabarriertoadoption.
Energymonitors
Assmartmeters–whichremotelyrecordcustomers’electricityuseandletthemknowhowmuchthey
areusing,asenergymonitorsdo–arerolledoutnationwide,governmentshouldsetminimum
standardstoensurethatthemeterincorporatesapermanent,visiblein-homedisplaydesignedto
engageusers,andasupportpackagepreparinghouseholdersforthemeter’sarrivalandenabling
themtoactonitsfeedback.Communicationsshouldemphasisethatthesmartmeterisamodern
gadgetthatcansavetheusermoney,providemorecontrol(givenfluctuatingenergybills)andoffer
enjoyment,byenablingtheusertospendthemoneytheysaveonsomethingpleasurable.
Heatingcontrols
Communicationsaboutheatingcontrolsneedtoconveyclearlywhattheydoandthemarked
differencesincontrol,financialgainandcomforttheyoffer.Theyshouldalsoportraythisitemasthe
newest,best,latest,mostmodernpieceofkit.Governmentandmanufacturersshouldalsoengagewith
installerstoensurethattheyareawareofheatingcontrolsandthemoney-savingbenefitstheyoffer.
Solarpanels
Toovercomeresistancetohighupfrontcosts,furtherfinancialassistancewillbeneeded,suchasmore
upfrontsubsidies,discountsonstampduty,low-orzero-interestloans,oron-billrepayment.Solar
panelsalsoneedtobemademorevisible,toincreaseawarenessandacceptability.Henceallnew
housesshouldhavethemfitted,withdemonstrationhomeswithpanelsinstalledineachlocality.
Communicationsneedtoemphasisestronglythecontrolandself-sufficiencythatpanelscanoffer.
TheymustalsodispeldoubtsthatpanelsdonotworkintheUK,positioningthemasattractive
‘moderngadgets’thatarenormalforNowPeople,whilehelpingmakeNowPeoplelookspecial.
Governmentshouldcontinuetoincreasetaxforcarswithhigheremissionsandshoulddeliveronits
commitmenttoprovidesubsidiesforthemostfuel-efficientcars.Regulationandincentivesarealso
neededtoensurethattrustedbrandsincorporatelower-carbontechnologyintotheirmodelsand
designthemtobeaestheticallyattractive.Communicationsshouldhighlightthe‘modern’
technologiesthatthesecarsinclude,andtheirabilitytocontrolfuelbills,andportraythemas‘special
butnormal’,tocaterforNowPeople’sconstantanxietyaboutwantingtobeleadingedgebutnot
‘too’leadingedge–cool,butnotsocoolthattheyarelaughedat.
UKholidays
AsustainedcampaignisneededtoencouragelocalbreaksandholidaysintheUKasafunwayof
gettingawayfromwork.UKdestinationsneedtoofferbetterlevelsofcomfort,atreasonableprices,
andtopositionthemselvesasmodernholidayoptions.Apackageofincentivesshouldbeprovidedto
helpimprovethefacilitiesoffered,tobringanewgenerationoffamiliesbacktoplacesthathave
become‘oldfashioned’.Policyshouldalsofocusonincreasingthecostofairtravel,generating
revenuestoimprovethealternatives,whilecommunicationscouldusehumourtogentlymockpeople
whotaketoomanyflights.
Governmentandtrainoperatorsneedtofindwaysofreducingthecostoftraintravelsothatit
becomesattractivelypricedcomparedwithcartravelandflying.Trainoperatorsshoulddomoreto
communicatethecheaperratesthatarealreadyavailableifticketsarebookedinadvanceandoffer
morediscounts.Ensuringthatservicesareavailableattimeswhenpeoplewanttotravelonbreaksis
alsovital,requiringarethinkofmaintenanceandupgradingschedules.
Communicationscouldhelpbyplayingupthehassleandstressofflyingwhilecreatingabuzzabout
traintravelandmainlinestations.Thiswillrequireastrategytoupgradeexistingfacilities,with
governmentsupportifnecessary.
Finalthoughts
Ultimately,ourresearchsuggeststhatsuccesswilllieinourcollectiveabilitytopersuademainstream
consumersthatinadoptinglower-carbonlifestylestheycansavemoneyandhavefun,theycanhave
controlinachaoticworld,theycandotherightthingandlookgoodwithoutbeingan
environmentalist,andtheycanstillbethemselves.Ifwecanachievethat,whileputtingthepoliciesin
placetoensurethatlower-carbonoptionsareaffordable,attractiveandvisible,wewillhavecomea
longwaytowardsmobilisingthepowerofconsumersinthebattleagainstclimatechange.
1.Introduction
IntheUK,theenergythatindividualsuseintheirhomesandforpersonaltransportisresponsiblefor
44percentofthecountry’scarbondioxide(CO2)emissions.Almost60percentoftheemissionsby
anaverageUKcitizencomefromusingenergyinthehome,while40percentcomesfromtransport,
includingflying(Retallacketal 2007).Changingthepublic’sdomesticuseofenergyandtransport
choicesisthereforecriticalforreducingthecountry’soverallcontributiontoclimatechange.
Akeychallengeisthatasignificantproportionofthepopulation,whileacceptingthatclimatechange
ishappeningandthathumansarecontributingtoit,hasnotshownawillingnesstomakebehavioural
change(ibid).Beyondthosewhotakeabove-averageinterestinandactiononenvironmentalissues–
‘theenvironmentallyinclined’,andearlyadoptersoflower-carbonbehaviours,thereisavery
substantialgroupofpeoplewhobyandlargehaveeithernotbeenthetargetofeffortstochange,or
havenotrespondedtoclimate-changecommunicationsandpolicies.
Thisreportpresentsthefindingsofaninvestigationintohowlower-carbonbehaviourcanbe
stimulatedamongsomeofthisgroup.HavingengagedwithconsumersfromdifferentpartsoftheUK
throughdeliberativeworkshops,wehavedevelopedpracticalrecommendationsonhowtoincentivise
individualsfromthisgrouptoreducetheircontributiontoclimatechange,basedonunderstanding
theirbarrierstoactionandthemosteffectivewayswithwhichtoovercomethem.
Aimsandobjectives
Thefindingsofthisreportarebasedonippr’sConsumerPowerproject–apieceofworkdesignedto
identifythecommunicationsapproachesandpoliciesneededtofacilitateachangeinbehaviour
amongmainstreamconsumers–thosewhohaveyettomakesignificantchangestoreducetheir
carbonfootprint.
Theaimoftheprojectwastodevelopapracticalsetofanswersthatcouldbeusedbyarangeof
differentcompanies,fromenergyutilitiestocarmanufacturers,trainoperatorsandtheUKtourist
trade,aswellasbygovernment,theagenciesthatitfunds(suchastheEnergySavingTrust),and
environmentalnon-governmentalorganisations.
Tofulfiltheproject’saims,severalsub-questionswereformulated.Theseincluded:
•Howdopeoplenotveryinterestedinormotivatedbyenvironmentalissues(the‘non-
environmentally-inclined’)perceiveclimatechangeandlower-carbonbehaviouringeneral?
•Whatdoesthismeanforcommunicationsandpoliciesaimingtoincreasetheuptakeoflower-
carbonbehaviouringeneral?
•Whatfactorsinfluencenon-environmentally-inclinedpeople’sperceptionsofspecificlower-
carbonbehaviours?
•Howcanthesefactorsinhibitorencouragetheuptakeofspecificlower-carbonbehaviours?
Thetargetaudience
Thehistoryofcommercialmarketingshowsthatknowingandsegmentingone’saudiencesisapre-
conditionofsuccess.Asdifferentgroupsofpeoplehavedifferentcapacitiesandmotivations,andface
differentbarriers,theyneedtobetargeteddifferently,usingmessages,messengers,communications
channelsandpoliciesthatareappropriateforthem.Hence,understandingthedifferencesbetween
subgroupsofthepopulationisessential.Inparticular,audiencesneedtobeknownsufficientlywellto
understandwhatwillmotivatethemtomakechanges,sothatinterventionscanbetargeted
appropriately.
Forthisreason,weidentified,engagedwithandsoughttounderstandaspecificsegmentofthe
populationusingapsychographicsegmentationtoolknownastheValuesModesmodel.
TheValuesModesmodel,developedbyCulturalDynamicsStrategyandMarketingLtd,drawson
Maslow’stheoryofpsychologicalneeds,andcansegmentanysampleofthepopulationintothree
broad‘motivationalgroups’and12further,morefinelytuned,groups.Thesegmentationisbasedon
morethan35years’researchoftheBritishpopulationthroughCulturalDyamics’BritishValuesSurvey.
Thelatestroundofnationalresearchgatheredresponsestomorethan1,000questionsfrom10,000
nationallyrepresentativeadultsagedbetween15and80.
Thissegmentationenablesanyoneseekingtochangebehaviourstoimprovethewaythatapproaches
arecraftedonthebasisofapsychologicalunderstandingofwhatmotivatesdifferentpeopleto
behaveindifferentways.Thiscomplementsourunderstandingofthepracticalissuesandbarriersthat
influencepeople.Usersofthisapproachhaveincludedlargecorporationsandpublicinstitutions,from
UnileverandShelltotheBBCandpoliticalparties,inmorethan40countries.
TheValuesModesmodeldividesthepopulationmostbroadlyinto:
•Pioneers(40percentoftheUKpopulation).Theyhave‘innerdirected’needs:theyseekan
ethicalbasisforlife,self-explorationanddiscovery,theyaresociety’snaturalactivists,andthey
valuequalityandaestheticsmorethanstatus.
•Prospectors (30percentoftheUKpopulation).Theyhaveesteemor‘outerdirected’needs:
theylivefortoday,andseekpsychologicalrewardsinstatus,fashion,successandrecognitionby
others.Theyunderpinconsumersociety.
•Settlers (30percentoftheUKpopulation).Theyhavesustenance-drivenneeds:theyneedto
protectwhattheyhave,dislikethreatstoidentity,belonging,securityorsafety,tendtohavea
strongcomfortfocusontheirhomes,andprioritisefinancialsecurityandspendtheirmoney
morecautiously.
PeoplewhohaveworkedforenvironmentalorganisationshavetraditionallytendedtobePioneers,
andconsequentlyhaveoftenusedthelanguageandapproachofPioneersinreachingouttothe
public,whichisunlikelytobeeffectiveforthetwo-thirdsofthepopulationwhoarenotPioneers.
Agenciesthathaveusedsocioeconomicandlifestylesegmentationmodelshavetendedtotargeta
similargroupofpeople:thosewhosesocioeconomicsituationmakesthemenvironmentallyinclinedor
morelikelytobeearlyadoptersoflower-carbonbehaviours(asisthecasewiththeEnergySaving
Trust’scampaigns).
WhyProspectorsandNowPeople?
GovernmentandothershavenotconsideredtheProspectorstobe‘earlyadopters’:theyhaveoften
beenseenaspartoftheproblemratherthanthesolution,andsohavelargelybeenignored.We
adoptedanewapproachbyattemptingtoshiftthefocusbeyondtheenvironmentallyinclined,sowe
chosetheProspectorsasthetargetsegmentofthepopulation.
TheProspectorsaredividedintofourfurthersubsections,oneofwhichistheNowPeople(See
Appendix1).Themottoforthesepeoplecouldbe‘Wewanttheworld,andwewantitnow!’Now
Peoplehaveahungerforlife,andwanttodevourit.Lifeisapartytobeenjoyed,andtheywantto
beatthecentreofit.Theyhavealargeneedfortheapprovalofothers,andsohavegreatempathetic
socialskills.Theyattractotherstothem.Theylookfortheflashandintensityinsituations.
Becauseoftheirhighlevelofmotivationtoconsume,andtheirprominentpositionwithinsocial
circles,NowPeoplearedriversoffashionsandtrends,meaningthattheyareaparticularlypowerful
subsectionofthepopulationwhenitcomestodeterminingconsumption-relatedbehaviours.Forthis
reasontheyareoftenthetargetofcompanies’marketingcampaigns.
TheselectionoftheNowPeopleasatargetforunderstandinginthisreportisbasedinparticularon
thecriticalpositiontheyoccupyoninnovationcurvesintheadoptionofnewideasandbehaviours.
ThePioneershavebeenfoundtobeclassicinnovatorsinthecreationandadoptionofnewideasand
behaviours.However,withouttheNowPeople’senthusiasticuptakeofthosenewideasand
behaviours,theotherthreeProspectorgroups(and,subsequently,theSettlers)areunlikelytomimic
thenewbehaviours.
Thisdynamicofchangehasbeenidentifiedasoneofthereasonsforthelackofwide-scalebehaviour
changeinrelationtoenvironmentalissuesintheUK.Inshort,thePioneershavediscoveredand
adoptedattitudesandbehavioursthatleadthemtobeseenasmoreenvironmentally-friendlythan
othergroups,buttheProspectorshavenotadoptedthesebehaviourstonearlythesameextent,and
thushaveactedasabrakeonwidespreadchangesinlifestyles.
Asthisreportshows,onereasonforthisisthattheemotionaltriggersactivatedbycurrentclimate-
changecommunicationsandcampaignsarenotthosemostvaluedbytheProspectors.Thisreport
probesanddiscoverstheemotionsthatthesecommunicationsdosucceedintriggering–primarily
negativeones–andofferssomeinsightsaboutthetypeoftriggersthatareneededinfuture
communications,tochangethebehavioursofthiscrucialgroup.
Readersofthisreportshouldkeepinmindoneoftheoldestandmostusedformulasinanalysingand
creatinggreatcommunications–the‘AIDA’formula.ThefourlettersstandforAttention,Interest,
Desire,Action.Eachofthesefactorshelpscommunicatorsunderstandtherootofanyongoingissue
inordertoframethebestwayforward.
Intheresearch,NowPeopleseemtobesayingthatinrelationtoclimatechange,theyhavetwoof
thesefactors:attentionandinterest.Butthedesireelementofcurrentcommunicationsand
alternativebehavioursiseithermissing,orisnotsufficientlymotivatingtotakethemontoaction.
Thismeansthatsimplyprovidingmorefactsandpolicieswillnotbethekeytobehaviourchange.
Atpresent,communications,policiesandbehaviouraloffersfailtoprovideNowPeoplewiththe
necessarycluesoropportunitiestobeabletosatisfytheirneedsfortheesteemofothers,throughthe
identifying,acquiringanddisplayingsymbolsofvalue.Itisthispurposethatdrivestheirlives–and
whensatisfied,itgivesthempleasure.So,NowPeoplearecurrentlyperformingbehavioursthatthey
knowarecausingenvironmentalharm,buttheyarenotsufficientlymovedbythepositioningof
currentalternativestochangethisbehaviour–eventhoughtheirlackofactioncausesanxiety.
Thisprojectisdesignedtounderstandwhatkindsofmethods,contexts,messengers,triggersand
channelswillcreatedesireand,ultimately,motivationtoaction,forthisgroupofpeople.Our
approachwastoworkwiththevaluesthatthisgroupholds,andtofocusdirectlyonchangingtheir
behavioursinordertodelivertangiblereductionsingreenhousegasemissions–regardlessofthe
motivationalbasisonwhichthosereductionsareachieved.Therehasbeenconsiderabledebateabout
thistypeofapproach(Crompton2008).Bychoosingitforthisproject,wedonotseektorejectother
approachesbasedonattemptingtoachieveafundamentalshiftinvaluesacrosssocietyawayfrom
consumerism.
Highlightedbehaviours
Inordertogeneratepracticalrecommendationsforcommunicationsandpoliciespromotingbehaviour
change,wefocusedonseveralspecificbehaviours,determinedbyconsideringanumberoffactors
(seeBox1.1onthenextpageformoredetails):
•Impact–carbon-savingpotentialfrombehaviourchange
•Appeal–likelyinterest,visibilityandacceptabilitytothetargetgroup
•Feasibility–capacityofthetargetgrouptoadoptthebehaviour(financialcapability)
•Frequency–howoftenthebehaviourislikelytooccur(habitualvpurchasing).
Thisresultedintheselectionofthefollowingsixlower-carbonconsumerchoices:
•Energymonitors
•Heatingcontrols
•Solarpanels
•UKholidays
Box1.1.Identifyingconsumerchoicestotest
Indeterminingwhichspecificcarbon-relatedconsumerchoicestotestattitudestowardsinthedeliberativeworkshops,we
consideredanumberoffactors.Theseincludedimpactintermsofcarbon-savingpotentialfrombehaviourchange,appeal
tothetargetgroup,feasibilityofthetargetgroupadoptingthebehaviourandfrequency–howoftenthebehaviourislikely
tooccur.Inthetablesbelowweshowhowdifferentchoicesandbehaviourscompareinrelationtothesefourcriteria.
Inthehome
Behaviour Impact* Appeal Feasibility Frequency

Insulation(cavitywallandloft) H L H L
Solidwallinsulation H L L L
Condensingboilers/heatingcontrols H M M L
Woodpelletboilers H M L L
Solarwaterheating M M M L
GroundSourceHeatPump H L L L
Micro-wind H H L L
PVpanels H H L L
Glazing(A-C) M M M L
Moreefficientappliances L H H M
CompactFluorescentLightbulbs L L H M
Switchoff–lights/standby L L H H
Real-timedisplays/bye-byestandby L H H H
Onthemove

Eco-driving M L H H
Purchasemoreefficientvehicle H M-H M L-M
Modalshift M L M H
Car-sharing M L H H
Noshorttrips(<3miles) M L H H
Cycling M M H H
Onholiday

UKholidays H L H M
Trainholidays H M M M
Offsetting L L M M
*ImpactbasedonCO2 savingsperbehaviourperyear.H=>350kgCO2/year,M=100kgCO2/year-349kgCO2/year,L
=<100kgCO2/year.
H=high;M=Medium;L=Low.
Researchmethodology
Note:materials ToinvestigatethecommunicationsapproachesandpoliciesthatwouldbeeffectiveforNowPeople,
usedduringthe weadoptedaqualitativeapproach.Deliberativeworkshopswereusedtoexploretheprocessesby
researchare whichpeoplemakeconsumerchoices.Thisgeneratedevidenceoftheattitudesandbeliefsthat
availableon underpinconsumerbehaviour,andthecontradictionsandcomplexitiesinherentinthem.Participant
requesttothe observationsandin-depthinterviewsalsoprovidedevidenceofthesedecision-makingprocessesin
authors,asfollows: thecontextofpeople’severydaylives.
•Workshops Deliberativeworkshops
discussionguide;
WeconductedsixdeliberativeworkshopsinordertoexplorethewaythatNowPeoplethinkabout
•Homeobservations lower-carbonpurchases.Deliberativeworkshopsareheldoveralongerperiodoftimethantraditional
discussionguide;
•Carsworkshop focusgroups,providinggreateropportunityforparticipantstoexpresstheirviewsfully,andfor
stimulusmaterials; discussionanddebatewithinthegroup.Theworkshopsusedprojectivetechniquesandexercisesthat
•Holidaysworkshop allowedustoexplorehowparticipants’viewschangedwhenpresentedwithinformationandhow
stimulusmaterials. viewsevolvedduringgroupdiscussions.
Contact:
Theuseofdeliberativetechniquesenabledustoexplorethesharednormsthatinfluenceparticipants’
r.platt@ippr.org
consumerdecisions,includingtheprocessesbywhichthesenormsarenegotiatedandinterpreted.
s.retallack@ippr.org
Thisresearchstartedfromanawarenessthattraditionalenvironmentalcommunicationsapproaches
havenotbeeneffectivewithinthistargetaudience.Wethereforeaimedtoexploreparticipants’
attitudesandopinionstolower-carbonlifestyleoptionswithoutimposingan‘environmental’
frameworkonthem.Assuch,theworkshopsfocusedonthethemeofshoppingratherthanclimate
changeandcarbon.Thisenabledustoexplorethemoregeneralprocessesthatparticipantsadopt
whenmakingconsumerdecisions,ratherthanfocusingsolelyonwhytheydonotchoosethelower-
carbonoption.
First,participantsweregivenaseriesofexercisesthatexploredtheirconsumerpreferencesinrelation
tovehiclepurchases,holidaysintheUKandtravellingbytrain.Theseincludedarangeofhigher-and
lower-carbonoptions.Reasonsforpreferenceswereexploredinsmallgroupdiscussions.
Next,insmallgroups,participantswereaskedtodesignanadvertisementforoneofthethree
domesticproductsidentified:energymonitors,heatingcontrolsorsolarpanels.Theywereinstructed
todesignanadvertisementthatwouldappealtothem,andtochooseanorganisationorindividual
thattheythoughtwouldbebestplacedtoselltheitem.Thisallowedustoexplorewhichfeaturesof
theproductsmostappealedtotheparticipants,whatkindofnarrativesandvaluestheywoulddraw
ontosellthemtootherNowPeople,andwhatkindofmessengerstheywouldprefer.Eachofthe
advertisementswaspresentedandthendiscussedbythegroup.
Thetopicofclimatechangewasnotintroducedasathemefordiscussionuntiltheveryendofthe
event.Eachworkshoplasteduptothreehours.
Sixworkshopswereheldintotal.Twooccurredineachofthreelocationsacrossthecountry:London,
YorkandjustoutsideBristol,inYate.
Eachworkshopwasattendedbysevenparticipants;thesmallnumbermeantthateveryonewasableto
participatefullyinthediscussion.Workshopsweresegmentedbygender,withfourall-femalegroups
andtwoall-malegroups,reflectingthefactthatmoreNowPeoplearefemalethanmale.Thegroups
werealsodividedbetweenpeoplewithchildrenandthosewithout,asbothgenderandfamily
circumstancearesignificantinunderstandingdifferencesbetweenparticipants’attitudesandvalues(see
Table1.1below).Thesocioeconomicstatusofparticipantsdidnotformpartoftherecruitmentcriteria.
Thegroupswererecruitedbyareputablemarketrecruitmentcompanythatusesrecruitersatthe
communitylevel,toaccessparticipantsviasocialnetworksanddoor-to-doorcanvassing.Participants
weregiven£60asanincentivefortakingpart.
Thediscussionswererecordedandtranscribed,withtheparticipants’permission.Thetranscriptions
werescannedtoidentifyoverarchingthemes.Thesethemesthenformedtheoverallstructurefora
Table1.1:Samplingforthedeliberativeworkshops
Workshoplocation Gender Children
LondonA Female Without
LondonB Female With
BristolA Male With
BristolB Female Without
YorkA Female With
YorkB Male Without
contentanalysisthatwascarriedoutmanually,usingspreadsheets.Theseinitialthemeswereadapted
iterativelyastheanalysisprogressed.Thissystemallowedforaclearbreakdownofthecontentof
eachgroup’sdiscussion,includingdifferencesbetweenparticipantsandthroughtime,andfacilitated
clearcomparisonbetweenthegroups.
In-homeobservationsandin-depthinterviews
Thesecondstageoftheresearchforthisprojectinvolvedconductinghomeenergyassessmentsinthe
homesof10NowPeople.TheaimofthisstageoftheresearchwastogaugethereactionsofNow
Peopletoenergyadviceandspecificmeasureswhenconductedintheirhomes.
TheassessmentswereconductedbythelifestylemanagementcompanyTen,adaptedfromthegreen
conciergeservicethatitofferstothegeneralpublic.Afterthehomeenergyassessmentswere
conducted,theparticipantswerebriefedontheresults.ThebriefingincludedseeinganEnergy
PerformanceCertificatefortheproperty,aswellasamoredetailedbreakdownofenergyusewithin
thehome.Thisprovideddetailsofthespecificsofhomeenergyuse,suchasheating,lightingand
draftproofing,showingrunningcostsandCO2 contributionsforeachitem.Variousmeasuresthat
couldbeinstalledtoreduceCO2 emissionswerediscussedwiththeparticipants.Thebriefingwas
observedbyaresearcherandrecorded.
Theassessmentandbriefinglasteduptotwohours,afterwhichanin-depthinterviewwasconducted
withtheparticipantstodiscusstheirexperiencesoftheassessmentandbriefing,andtoaccesstheir
widerperceptionsofclimatechangeandlower-carbonbehaviourmoregenerally.Theinterviewlasted
approximatelyhalfanhour.
TheTenobservationswereheldexclusivelyinLondon.Aswiththeworkshopstheobservationswere
segmentedbygenderandfamilycircumstance,takingintoconsiderationthatmoreNowPeopleare
femalethanmale.Thesocioeconomicstatusofparticipantswasnotapartoftherecruitmentcriteria
(seeTable1.2).
Table1.2:Samplingforthein-homeobservationsandin-depthinterviews
Observationlocation Gender Children No.ofinterviews
London Female Yes 3
London Female No 3
London Male Yes 2
London Male No 2
Participantswererecruitedusingthesamemarketresearchcompanyaswasusedfortheworkshops.
Participantsweregiven£50asanincentivefortakingpart,andthehomeenergyassessmentwas
givenforfree.
ItisworthnotingthattheresearchforthisprojecttookplacebetweenOctober2008andJanuary
2009–aperiodofmajorturbulencewithintheglobalfinancialsystemthatsawbailoutsofhighstreet
banksandgrowingexpectationsofamajorrecessiontofollow.Also,justbeforethisperiod,fuelbills
reachedveryhighlevels,althoughtheyfellduringthetimeoftheresearch.Thesefactorshavehada
significantimpactonthefindingsfromthisresearch.
2.Perceptionsofclimatechangeandlower-carbonbehaviour
Thisisthefirstoftwochapterspresentingourfindings.ThischapterseekstoidentifyhowNow
Peopleperceiveclimatechangeandlower-carbonbehaviouringeneral.Itoffersseveralreasonswhy
communicationscentreddirectlyuponactingonclimatechangehavenotbeensuccessful,and
highlightscertainareasinwhichthesemessageshavehadsomesuccess.
Climatefatigue
Manyoftheparticipantsexpressedawearinessandfatigueaboutthesubjectofclimatechange,
havingbeenexposedtoextensivemessagesandinformationaboutthisandwiderenvironmental
issues.Thisfatiguewasevidentinthedynamicsofmanyoftheworkshops,whichbecamenotablyless
animatedfollowingtheintroductionofclimatechangeasatopicfordiscussion.Somefoundtheissue
veryboring.Othersusedtermssuchas‘faddy’and‘trendy’,suggestingabeliefthattheattention
giventotheseissuesistemporaryandwillpass,andalsothattheissuesmaysomehowbelackingin
substance:
‘Ithinkitisagimmick,alotofit,andthatputsmeoff.’(Female,Bristol,without
children)
‘Iworkforabigcompany,andwe’regettingthegreenthingrammeddownourthroat
allthetime–andit’sjustgettingreallyboring.’(Female,London,withchildren)
‘It’soneofthosethingsyouthinkaboutforafewminutes,getdepressed,andmove
ontothenext.’(Male,Bristol,withchildren)
‘Alotofrestaurantsandsuchlikearenowconcentratingmoreonfoodmilesandthings
likethat…Tome,itactuallyfeelslikeit’soneofthesethingsthat’sabitfaddy:that
that’sthe“inthing”todojustnow.’(Male,York,withoutchildren)
‘I’mnotsureifsomepeopleareperhapsjumpingonabandwagon.’(Male,London,
withoutchildren)
Uncertaintyaboutthescience
Beyondtheseinitialreactions,asignificantnumberofparticipantshelddoubtsaboutthescientific
basisforclimatechange.Someparticipantsdisplayedstrongscepticismaboutthescientificvalidityof
man-madeclimatechange.Morecommonly,however,therewasageneralacceptancethatclimate
changeishappeningandthatitisprobablydueatleastinparttohumans,butthatweareunlikelyto
bewhollyresponsible.Insupportofthis,participantswouldoftenreferto‘naturalcycles’,andmany
saidthattheydidnotknowwhattobelieve:
‘WhilstIappreciateweinfluencethings…howmuchisitjustthattheplanetisgoing
throughitsowncyclesandwhatwouldhavehappenedanyway?’(Male,Bristol,with
children)
‘There’ssomanyargumentsastowhatisdowntousandclimatechangeandcarbon
footprint,andwhatisjusttodowiththeEarthitself,thatit’sdifficulttotell.’(Male,
York,withoutchildren)
Cynicismtowardsgovernmentandcompanies
Oftenmixedwiththisscepticismaboutthesciencewasamoregeneralcynicismaboutthe
motivationsoftheGovernmentinpushingforactiononclimatechange.Severalparticipants
suggestedthatgovernmentscouldbeusingclimatechangeasameansofincreasingtaxation.
Commentsweremadehighlightinginconsistenciesandhypocrisyonthepartofgovernmentand
corporations,suchastheGovernmentdecisiontograntpermissionforthebuildingofthethird
runwayatHeathrow.Theseconflictingmessagesappearedtoreinforcethedoubtsthatsome
participantsheldaboutthescientificbasisofman-madeclimatechange:
‘It’saformofstealthtaxtosomeextent.Idothinkpeoplefeelgenuinelyasifit’s
anotherexcusetotaxus.’(Female,London,withchildren)
‘Ifthey’rereallyseriousaboutdoingstuff,whydon’ttheyjusttaxthegreen-issue
things?’(Male,Bristol,withchildren)
‘It’s“DoasIsay”,isn’tit–not“DoasIdo”.’(Female,London,withchildren)
‘Ifinditallabitschizophrenicwhentheyopennewairportterminalsforeveryoneand
driveusmadaboutwhatwe’redoingtotheenvironmentwhenwe’reflyingoffevery
day.’(Female,London,withoutchildren)
Confusionaboutthecausesofclimatechange
Asmallyetsignificantnumberofparticipants,whileacknowledgingthathumanactionsarecausing
theplanettowarmup,displayedconfusionaboutwhatexactlyclimatechangeisandwhatconstitute
theemissionsthatcauseit.Participantsfrequentlylinkedclimatechangedirectlytotheholeinthe
ozonelayer,andforsomeparticipantsthetwoissuesseemedtobeinterchangeable.Theyalso
regularlyassociated‘emissions’with,inparticular,visiblesourcesofairpollution.Forexample,itwas
suggestedthatacarwithnovisiblesmokecomingoutoftheexhaustgaveofffeweremissionsthan
onewheresmokewasvisible,andalsothatasmokingpipemaygiveoffemissions.
Whenaskedbytheworkshopfacilitator‘Whatdoesthetermclimatechangemeantoyou?’,
respondentsrepliedasfollows:
‘Theozonelayerisgettingscrewed,basically,andit’sleadingtoallsortsofworld
change–andmaybetheamountofelectricity,gas,fuelweuseiscontributingtoit
gettingworse.’(Female,London,withoutchildren)
‘AmIputtingemissionsoutintotheworldbecauseI’musingmyboiler,soyouseeall
thesmokegoingout?’(Female,London,withchildren)
‘Ismybodyheatgivingoffemissions?’(Male,London,withchildren)
Confusionaboutsolutions
Acommontendencyamongtheparticipantswastogroupissuesrelatingtoclimatechangetogether
withothersustainabilityissues–particularlyrecycling,andethicalbehaviourmorebroadly.Thisis
importantbecausetheparticipants’attitudestowards,andexperiencesof,engagingintheserelated
issuesaffectedhowtheyperceivedreducingtheirenergyuse.
Asignificantnumberremarkedthatbyengaginginrecyclingtheythoughttheywerealready‘doing
theirbit’anddidn’tnecessarilyfeeltheyhadtodoanymore:
‘Ithinkeverybodyfeelslikethey’redoingalittlebitandthat’senough…Iwouldn’t
sayI’mfantasticatrecyclingandallthat.Idomybest.’(Male,Bristol,withchildren)
‘Ithinkit’sgoodtodoyourbit…butIthinkdoingyourbitcanbeenough.’(Female,
London,withoutchildren)
Moreover,manyrecountedstoriesaboutrecyclingcontainersbeingshippedtoChina,orbeing
contaminatedeasilybythewrongordirtymaterial,addingweighttouncertaintyabouthowmuch
‘doingyourbit’couldachieve.
Concernsabouteffectiveness
Manydiscussionsalsocentredontheineffectivenessofadoptingsmalllower-carbonbehaviourswhen
otherswerestillemittingelsewhere.Thiswasaverycommonperception.The‘free-riders’that
participantsreferredtomostregularlyincludedothercountries,aswellascompanies,shopping
centresthatleavetheirlightsonallnight,and‘otherpeoplewhowon’teverchange’:
‘Youwonderhowmuchimpactithas,don’tyou,ifeverybodyelseisn’tdoingit.’
(Female,York,withchildren)
‘YouhearthatonestateinAmericaproducesmorethanallofEurope,andyouthink
“Doesitactuallymakeadifference?”’(Male,Bristol,withchildren)
‘WhilsttheChinesepopulationisincreasingby9percentor10percentayear,if
everybodyinEnglandstoppedusingcarsandanyelectricitywewouldmake1percent
differencetothewholeworld.TheChinesepopulationisincreasingby9percenta
year–sowhat’sthepoint?’(Male,York,withoutchildren)
‘Youtalktomeaboutsavingenergyinmyownhouse:driveuptheA40andseeall
theseofficesat5o’clockinthemorningwithalltheirlightson.Askmethat,andI
think“Shit!”DoyouknowwhatImean?You’vegotalltheseofficeswithalltheirlights
on,andthey’retalkingaboutsavingelectricity.’(Male,London,withchildren)
Resentmentaboutfeelingguilty
AnotherimportantinfluenceonNowPeople’sperceptionofclimate-relatedbehaviourchangeisthe
legacyofpreviouscommunications,andhowtheyhavebeenreceived.Manyoftheparticipantsfelt
thatrequestsforthemtodomorefortheenvironment,orforclimatechange,madethemfeelguilty
abouttheirlifestyles–andsomewereresentfulofthis.Severalparticipantsinthehomeobservations
revealedthattheyhadexpectedtobe‘judged’bythedomesticenergyassessor,andoneinparticular
foundthatthewholeprocessoftakingpartintheassessmentinducedwithinherverystrongfeelings
ofguilt:
‘(I)don’twanttobemadetofeelguiltyformychoices.IhaveadishwasherandIlove
it…andweliveinahouseprobablytoobigforus.It’swarmbecauseweheatit.We
bothworkveryhard,andwebuyreallynicethingsforourhome…Ilikeit,andIdon’t
wanttobemadetofeelguiltyaboutthat,becauseI’mlivingthelifeIwanttolive.’
(Female,London,withoutchildren)
‘I’mfeelingextremelyguilty…becauseIknowIshouldbemoreawareofthesethings
butI’mnot–andIthinkit’sabitignorant,butthereyougo.’(Female,London,with
children)
Negativeperceptionsofenvironmentally-friendlypeople
Onarelatedtheme,manyalsomadenegativecommentsaboutpeoplewhoengagein
environmentally-friendlybehaviours.Thesetendedtofocusonnegativepersonalitycharacteristics,
withtermsusedsuchas‘over-virtuous’,‘self-righteous’or‘smug’.Thislanguagemayindicatethatthe
participantsinquestionfeelthattheyarebeingjudgedbytheirmoreenvironmentally-friendlypeers.
Someparticipantsalsorecountedstoriesofpeoplewhopurporttobeenvironmentally-friendlybut
thenengageinabehaviourthatisnot–inparticular,byflying.Sometimesthesestorieswereabout
peoplethattheparticipantknew,whileotherswereaboutcelebritieswhohadtravelledbyaeroplane
toplayattheLiveEarthclimatechangeconcert.Thesestoriesservetoundermineandreducethe
credibilityofthoseengagedinenvironmentalbehaviour.
Thenegativestereotypeshighlighted,andthefocusonlocatingflawsinthebehaviourofthose
engagedinlower-carbonbehaviours,areimportantperceptionstoconsider:
‘Ijustfeelit’salotofmiddle-classpeople[andit]makesthemfeelgoodthatthey’re
doingsomething.’(Female,London,withchildren)
‘I’vegotareallyextremeneighbour…andhe’sactuallyacameramanfortheBlue
Planetandstufflikethat…Becausehe’salwaysupattheNorthPolehe’salways
harpingonaboutit’sallshrinkingandallthat.Ididpointouttohim…hedoesabout
85,000milesinhisplaneeveryyeartogoandfilmit.’(Male,Bristol,withchildren)
‘Theydidthatgig,didn’tthey?Thecelebritiesdidagigaboutclimatechange…about
howwe’vegottoreduceeverything,andtheywereallbeingflowninintheirprivate
jets.’(Female,Bristol,withoutchildren)
‘MyfamilythatlivedowninLewes,theythinkthey’reall,like,green–perfect,andall
therestofit–butyettheygoonfourorfiveholidaysayear.AndI’m,like,“You’renot
really,areyou?”’(Female,London,withoutchildren)
Costasabarrier
Anoverridingperceptionamongparticipantswasthatwhenmakingapurchase,costisamore
importantconsiderationthanenvironmentalimpact.Thiswasstatedexplicitly,andwasfurther
evidencedbythefarhigherprominencethatworkshopparticipantsgavetodiscussionsaboutmoney
comparedtoenvironmentalissues.Inparticular,thecreditcrunchwasreferredtoashavingmadethe
costofthingsincreasinglyimportant.Someparticipantssuggestedthatthisfactorwouldresultin
environmentalpurchasesbeingpushedevenfurtherintosecondplace:
‘Ithinkeveryonewantstodotheirpartfortheenvironmentbut…ifAis£5andit’s
madeinChina,andtheexactsameproductis£10butit’smadeoverhere…you’re
goingtogofor[theformer]withoutanyguiltreally.’(Male,York,withoutchildren)
‘Forgetthatyou’rehavinganyimpactontheenvironment.It’sabouthowmuchyou
saveinyourbackpocket.’(Male,York,withoutchildren)
‘MuchasI’dliketobegoodtotheenvironment,mywalletismoreimportant…I
mean,Iamconsciousoftheenvironmentbut,youknow,people’spocketsaremore
importanttothem.’(Female,London,withoutchildren)
‘Moneyagainstenvironment,obviously,isabitmoreofabalancenowthanitwas18
monthsago,whenpeoplefeltabitmoreconfidentandhadabitmoremoneyto
spend.’(Male,London,withchildren)
Meanwhile,whenparticipantsdiscussedcostsavingsthatmightbeachievedbyadoptinglower-
carbonbehaviours,theyoftensawthebenefitsasbeingabletospendthemoneyelsewhere–on
potentiallyhigh-carbonbehaviours:
‘IfIwastobuildahousetomorrow,itwouldhaveanythingenergysavingthatIcould
possiblyraminittomakeitasenergyefficientasIcould–andthenIcouldhavemy
AudiTT.’(Female,York,withchildren)
Costasamotivator
Whereparticipantshadalreadymadeenergy-reducingchanges,thiswasoverwhelminglyrelatedto
costandthehighpricesofbills,ratherthansolelyormainlyinreactiontoconcernsaboutthe
environment.Someparticipantswerekeentofindanywaypossibleofsavingmoney,citingthecredit
crunch,therecessionandhighfuelbillsasmajormotivators.Severaloftheparticipantsalsolinked
highfuelbillstodepletingfuelresources:
‘Thereasonwearesomindfulofenergyatthemomentisnotthroughreal
environmentalreasons–that’snotthemitigatingfactor.It’scost…It’sthecostissues
firstandforemost,andthen,probably,theenvironmentcomesintoit.’(Female,
‘I’minfuriatingeveryoneinourhouseatthemoment,becauseI’monmaternityleave
atthemoment,andwiththecreditcrunchI’monarealdrivetosavemoney,andI’m
goingaroundthehouseturningthelightsoffafterpeople.’(Female,York,with
children)
‘Withthecreditcrunch…Britainisgoingtobeinarecessionnowfor18months.It’s
allaboutwhatyou’resaving.That’showyou’regoingtosellthings–onwhatyou’re
actuallygoingtosave.’(Female,London,withchildren)
‘Obviously,thewaythingsaregoingatthemomentwithelectricityandthegas
suppliersputtingyourbillsup,youwanttodowhatyoucantobringyourbillsdown.’
(Female,London,withchildren)
Importantly,theinfluenceofsuchdriversmeansthatuncertaintyaboutthescientificbasisand
cynicismaboutofficialmotivationsforactionarenotnecessarilybarrierstobehaviourchange.
Twoparticipantswhoexpressedstrongopinionsofthisnaturehadpreviouslyconsideredpurchasing
solarpanels.Theyexplainedthatthiswasbecauseofadesireforgreatercontrolandautonomywith
regardstotheirenergysupply,againstabackdropofhighandfluctuatingenergyprices.
Anotherparticipantintheobservationswhowasquitescepticalaboutthescienceofclimatechange
washighlymotivatedtoreducehisenergyusebecauseofanawarenessofpressureonresources:
‘Idon’tthinkman’sCO2 emissionsarenecessarilyleadingtothisthingcalled“climate
change”…Iquiteliketheideaofpeopleusinglessenergyandbeingmorecarefulwith
thingslikethatandbeinglesspollutingetc.Ithinktheymightbedoingitforthe
wrongreasonssoIdon’tnecessarilywantthedebateopenedup,[but]I’mquiteglad
they’redoingalotofthesethings…Therightreasontodoitistonotpollutethe
worldanduseresourcesmorejudiciously.’(Male,London,withoutchildren)
Astrongemphasisonsavingmoneywasapersistentandrecurrentthemeacrosstheresearch,and
presentssignificantopportunities.However,financialfactorswerenotalwaysthehighestpriority.For
some,beingoverlyconcernedbysavingsmallamountsofmoneywas‘boring’andtoomuchofa
‘hassle’,andsomethingthat‘oldbiddies’or‘adad’mightbeinterestedin.
Awarenessofclimatechange
Despitetheconfusionandscepticismreferredtoabove,awarenessofclimatechangewasfairlyhigh
amongparticipants.Somereferredtothefactthatawarenessoftheseissueshasgrown.The
participantsthemselveshadagoodawarenessofdifferentfacetsofclimatechange,includingmelting
icecaps,threattopolarbears,carbonfootprintsandchangestotheweather.Morespecificallythere
werefrequentreferencestonoticeablechangesthatwereperceivedtohaveoccurredtoweather
patternsintheUK.
‘Poorpolarbears–it’sallmeltingandthey’renotsurviving.’(Female,London,without
children)
‘Ithinkitcomesupwhentheweatherisstrange,moresothananything–freaky
weather.Whenyouhavestorms,peoplestarttothinkaboutitall:“Allthisistodowith
climatechange.”’(Male,Bristol,withchildren)
‘Ithinkwe’reveryawareofthewaytheweatherischanging.Idothinkthat’stodo
withouremissions,andthingslikethat.’(Female,London,withoutchildren)
‘Thefirstthingthatcomesintomindistheweather–thefactthattheseasonsareall
blurringandareallone.Imean,itclearlyisn’t–butthewintersaregettingcolderand
thesummersaregettinghotter.’(Female,London,withchildren)
‘Ithinkthere’s…normalpeoplenowthinkingabouttheenvironment…Ithinkabout
itmorenowthanIeverdid,andprobablymorebecauseI’vegotchildrenandbecause
ofthelasttwolousysummerswe’vehad.Youjustthink“Ohgosh,isitreallystarting
tomakeadifference?”’(Female,York,withchildren)
‘Doingyourbit’andadislikeofwaste
Thereweresomepositivediscussionsaboutpeopleengaginginbehaviourchange,andsome
participantssuggestedthatpositiveattitudestowardsbeingenvironmentally-friendlyhavebecome
morewidespreadinrecentyears.Somereferredtotheimportanceofeveryone‘doingtheirbit’forthe
environmentandtheresultingpositivefeeling:
‘Itwouldbenicetothink[that]myhouseisreallyefficientand[that]I’vedone
everythingIcandoformyhousetobeasefficientaspossible.Thatwouldbeanice
feeling.’(Female,London,withoutchildren)
‘Ithinkitmakespeoplefeelgoodiftheycandoit.’(Male,London,withchildren)
Severaltookprideindoingtheirrecyclingandreducingtheirwaste–forexample,bytryingtobuy
productswithlesspackaging.Environmentalfactorssometimesplayedapartintheirreasonsforthis,
buttheywerealsostronglymotivatedbyageneraldislikeofwasteandpollution,andasenseof
‘goodhousekeeping’.
‘Ithinkthewholeideaofcuttingdownonfuelemissionsisgood,regardless,because
ofthepollution.’(Female,London,withoutchildren)
‘I’mquitedisciplined.Idon’thaveallthelightsonandeverythingpluggedonwhen
I’mnothere,sofromthatsenseImakeaneffort…[It’s]goodpractice–housekeeping
–andalsobecauseit’sawaste,it’sawasteofresources,isn’tit?It’sjustgood
discipline.Ithoughteveryonedidthat.’(Female,London,withoutchildren)
Anotherenvironmentalissuethatemerged,althoughlessregularlythanrecycling,andonlybythe
femalegroups,wastheuseofnon-plasticshoppingbags.Thisbehaviourisdifferenttorecyclingin
thatitisnotmandatedbyregulationandispurelyvoluntary.Itwasinteresting,therefore,thatsome
participantstalkedaboutengaginginthisbehavioureventhoughtheyfounditahasslehavingto
remembertotakeoutandusereusablebags.Therewerealsosomepositivediscussionsaboutusing
non-plasticbagsrelatingtobeingabletochoosegood-lookingorspecificdesigneralternatives:
‘Peopleareactively,sortof,signingupforit…It’sbeenquiteaquickculturalchange.’
Theimpactofparenthood
Beingaparentappearedtoplayamajorpartinparticipants’awarenessofclimatechangeandtheir
engagementinlower-carbonbehaviours.Severaldiscussedhowtheirawarenesshadbeenraised
becauseofwhattheirchildrenhadlearnedatschool.Participants’childrenoftenremindedthemto
turnthingsoff,suchaslightsandtapsinordertosaveelectricityandwater,andthisoftenplayedan
importantroleinraisingtheirawareness:
‘Mychildrenwillcomealongandturnthetelevisionofffrombeingonstandby,andall
thatkindofstuff,becauseit’sdrummedintothem.That’stheirage:they’retaughtitat
school,whereasweweren’t.’(Female,London,withchildren)
‘Mydaughter’sanEco-leaderatschoolandshe’squiteintoit–“Saveourplanet”.If
I’vegotthebathrunningshe’llsay“Mum,that’senoughwaterinthere,”andI’m,like,
“What?”.She’squiteupwithit.’(Female,London,withchildren)
Inothersituations,parentstookontheroleofremindingtheirchildrentobemoreenergyaware.
Ingeneral,theparentsappearedtobethemostengagedinlower-carbonbehavioursofallthe
participants,throughactivitiessuchasturningofflights,notleavingtelevisionsonstandby,andnot
over-fillingkettles.However,thisawarenessmayberelatedtotheextracostsinvolvedwithhaving
children:
‘I’mmoreconsciousnow.Laptops–mineareterribleforjustleavinglaptopsplugged
in.I’malwaysswitchingthemoff,PlayStationsandstuff.We’vejusthadamassive
reductionfromourenergysuppliersoI’mnotreallythatbotheredanymore.’(Female,
York,withchildren)
Havingchildrenwasalsoanimportantfactorinhowtheparticipantsthoughtaboutthefuture,and
theconsequencesofactionstakentoday:
‘It’seco-friendlyisn’tit?Thinkingaboutourchildren–youknow.’(Female,York,with
children)
‘Doyouwanttogogreenanddoyourbittomakeyourchildrenproudofyou?I’m
sureyoudo.’(Female,London,withchildren)
‘Obviously,Ithinkaboutmygrandchildreninyearstocome.Idon’twantthem
suffering,andthingslikethat.’(Female,London,withchildren)
3.Perceptionsofspecificlower-carbonchoices
ThischaptersetsoutNowPeople’sattitudestowardsspecificlower-carbonconsumerchoices.We
identifythefactorsthattheytakeintoaccountwhenmakingconsumerchoicesincertainareas,and
thefactorsthatmayworktoinhibitorencouragegreateruptakeofthedesiredlower-carbonoption.
First,welookatthefindingsfromworkshopactivitiescentredonsixspecificlower-carbonconsumer
choices:
•Energymonitors
•Heatingcontrols
•Solarpanels
•UKholidays
Thefirstthreechoices(energymonitors,heatingcontrolsandsolarpanels)wereexploredthrougha
standardisedworkshopformat.Theparticipantsweredividedintogroups,eachofwhichwasallocated
oneofthethreeproductstodiscuss,andwasgivenafactsheetaboutthatproduct.Thegroupswere
askedtodesignanadvertisementfortheirproductthatwouldappealtothem,andtoproposethe
person,organisationorotherbodybestplacedtosellit.Eachgrouppresentedtheiradvertisement,
andthepresentationwasthenfollowedbyawhole-groupdiscussion.Thefindingsarepresented
belowintermsof‘inhibitingfactors’,‘encouragingfactors’and‘marketingideas’.
Forthefollowingtwochoices(energy-efficientvehiclesandUKholidays)participantsweregiven
stimulusmaterialstoprovokemoregeneraldiscussionaroundthechoicestheymakeandreasonsfor
thosechoices.Forthefinalchoice(holidaytravelbytrain),discussionflowedonnaturallyfromthe
previousconversationaboutUKholidays.
Afterexaminingthesesixspecificconsumerchoices,welookatthefeedbackfromobservedhome
energyassessmentsandin-depthinterviews,carriedoutinthehomesof10individuals.
Energymonitors
Energymonitorsaredevicesthatshowhowmuchelectricityisbeingusedinthehomeatanyone
particularmoment.
Inhibitingfactors
Asignificantminorityoftheparticipantswerenotinterestedintheenergymonitorbecausethey
believeditwouldbeannoyingandwouldstopthemrelaxing.Otherssaidtheproductwasboring
becausetheywouldbethinkingaboutthemoneytheywasspendingallthetime,andtheywerenot
interestedinthesmallamountsofmoneythattheyperceiveditmightsavethem.Someparticipants
expressedconcernsthatthemonitorcouldbedetrimentaltothelivesofolderpeoplebyencouraging
themtoturnofftheirelectricitytoomuch.
‘Talkaboutwindyouup,though–you’dsitindoorsgoing:“Turnitdown,turnthat
lightoff:it’sjustcostus50p!”Itwouldbeanightmare…Thatwouldreallyannoyme,
knowinghowmuchit’scostingmeeveryday.’(Female,London,withoutchildren)
‘There’snothingjoyousorhappy–it’sjustgoingtomakeyouwatchyourmoney
disappear,andthenyou’llgettoapointandyou’llhaveinyourmindhowmuchyou
arepreparedtospendinamonthand…you’llbesoboring.’(Female,London,without
children)
‘It’sveryboring,whateveritis.I’mnotattractedtoit.Ican’teatit.Ican’twearit–
whywouldIwantit?...Ifthatwasboughtasapresentforme,I’dbedisappointed.’
‘Ijustdon’tseethebenefitofit,tobehonest.Iwouldn’tworrythatmuchhowmucha
lightbulbwascostingmebecauseIwouldn’tbotherlivinginthehouse,then,ifthat
wasthecase.’(Male,York,withoutchildren)
Twomaleparticipantsindifferentworkshopscomparedtheenergymonitortothemilespergallon
(mpg)gaugeincars.Theyexplainedhowseeingthepetrolthattheywereusingwasannoying
becauseitdidhaveaneffectonthewaythattheydrove.Sowhiletheywerenotnecessarilypositive
abouttheenergymonitor,theywereacknowledgingthatbeingpresentedwiththiskindof
informationmightaffecttheirbehaviour:
‘It’sliketheMPGthinginyourcar,isn’tit?Onceyourealise:“OhmyGod!”Itdoes
work,doesn’tit,whenyouseethemonitors.’(Male,Bristol,withchildren)
‘Notagoodideabecauseit’stakingBMW’swayof“milespergallon”thing.Asyou’re
drivingalong,it’sunderneathyourfuel,soyoudriveaccordinglyandyou’relike“Oh
God,no.”’(Male,York,withoutchildren)
Encouragingfactors
Fewoftheparticipantsdisplayedthekindofnegativityexpressedabove–rather,mainly,they
receiveditpositivelybecauseofthemoneytheysawitcouldsavethem.Theyoftenrelatedthis
motivationtothecreditcrunch,ortohighenergypricesandbills.Severalsawitspotentialtohelp
themwiththeircurrenteffortstoreduceenergyaroundthehouse:
‘Itdependshowmuchitiscostingwhenyoubreakitdown.Wepayourbillsmonthly,
andthey’regoingthroughtheroof–butthen,ifyoubrokeitdownanditreallywas
costingyoualotforanhourtohaveallthoseappliances,thenyeah,Iwouldbuyit.’
‘Ifyou’reinthatmindsetofactuallywantingtosavearoundthehome,it’sreally
good...Itwouldprobablysellitselfinthisdayandage.’(Female,York,withchildren)
Marketingideas
Theadvertisementsfortheenergymonitorprimarilyemphasisedthatitwaslowcostandthatitcould
easilysaveyoumoney,withsomereferringtotheveryquickresultingpay-backtime.Thebenefitto
theenvironmentwasmentionedbytwoofthegroups,butonlyasaminorpointalongsidethepriority
ofsavingmoney.
Differentgroupscommunicatedthebenefitsofsavingmoneyindifferentways.Someusedimagesof
themonitoratworkwithinahomesetting–forexample,measuringtheenergyuseofappliancesas
theywereswitchedonandoff,andrelatingthisvisuallytothemoneythatcouldbesavedbyusing
themonitor.Oneattemptedtoincreasetheappealofsavingmoneybyemphasisingthepleasurethat
couldbegainedbyspendingthismoneyelsewhere:
‘You’vegotthepoundsclickinginthecorneraswell,soyoucanactuallyseeadirect
correlationbetweenlightsgoingonandhowmuchthat’scosting.’(Male,Bristol,with
children)
‘Wethinkit’sminimumcostformaximumpleasure.Withoutthemonitorandthe
electricityandthecostofyourhometoyourightnow,yournextholidaycouldbein
therainonacampsite.Shouldyoubuythis,for£29.95,thesavingyoumakeoverthe
yearyoucantakeyourmostfavouritemantoPariswithyou,abitofchampers,abit
ofpleasure.InsteadofaholidayinPontefract,youcouldholidayinParis.’(Female,
York,withchildren)
Twogroupsdescribedscenesdrawingonaspectsofculturethatareassociatedwithmoneysaving–
namely,austerityinthepost-war1950s,andDavidDickinson,celebritypresenterofanantique-dealing
televisionshow.Theseadvertisementsdrewonhumourandironytoincreasetheappealoftheproduct.
‘Therewasthatkindofmentalitythen,anyway,wasn’tthere?’(Male,York,without
children)’
‘Backinthepost-war,andduringthewar,everyonewasgearedtowardsconserving
energyandputtingalimitontheirconsumption–whattheywereusing–withrations,
sotherewasalltheselittleexamplesofhowyoucansaveonthis,andifyousavethis
amountandthat,anddothis,thenthatwouldbecosteffective.’(London,female,
withoutchildren)
Othergroupsusedcelebritiesintheiradvertisementstoo.Inone,awell-knowncelebritycouple,
televisionpresentersTessDalyandVernonKay,wereusedtogainmainstreamappealfortheproduct.
Thecouple’simageofbeingfamilycentredanddowntoearthmayalsohavebeenimportant:
‘They’reverymainstream,andmostpeoplewouldhaveheardofthem.’(Female,York,
withchildren)
Anotheradvertisementusedwell-knownfigureBillOddiebecauseofhisassociationwiththe
environment.
Itwasrepeatedlysuggestedthatenergycompaniesorgovernmentenergydepartmentsshouldsellthe
product.However,severalparticipantssuggestedthattherewasalackoftrusttowardsthesetypesof
organisations.Thepointwasalsoraisedthatanenergycompanysellingaproductthatwouldreduce
itscustomers’energyusewasaconfusingmessage:
‘Well,wedon’tknowifyou’dtrustanenergycompanygivingittoyou,because
they’redoingthemselvesoutofmoneythatyou’resaving…ThelikesofBTgiveyou
theequipment[sothatyou]use[theirservice]more,don’tthey,so…it’salmostthe
opposite.Wouldyoutrustanenergycompanygivingittoyou?’(Male,Bristol,with
children)
Severalofthegroupssuggestedthattheproductcouldbegivenawaywhenpurchasingahigher-
valueproduct.
Heatingcontrols
Heatingcontrolsallowyoutochoosewhentheheatingison,howwarmitis,andwhereyouwantthe
warmthinyourhouse.Theywillalsomakesurethattheboilerisonlyturnedonwhenitneedstobe.
Inhibitingfactors
Theoverridingreactiontothisproductwasageneralconfusionaboutwhatitdid.Inparticular,the
participantsdidnotseemanybenefitstothesmallincreaseinfunctionalitythatitofferedaboveand
beyondtheheatingcontrolstheyalreadyhad,suchasroomthermostatsandthermostaticradiator
valves.Overall,thisconfusiontranslatedintoageneraldisinterestintheproductandnodesireto
purchaseone.However,thismayhavebeenpartlyaresultofwhatinformationwaspresentedtothe
participantsintheworkshops.
‘It’sreinventingthewheel,isn’tit?’(Female,London,withchildren)
Encouragingfactors
Wheretheparticipantswerepositiveabouttheproduct,thisrelatedtoitsabilitytosavethemmoney
–althoughtheyquestionedhowmuchitwouldsaveaboveandbeyondtheirexistingstandard
heatingcontrols.Theonegroupthatwasunusualinbeingovertlypositiveabouttheproduct
emphasisedhowitwaseasytoinstallandalsothatitwasmodernandagimmick:
‘Wealsothinkit’snewandmodern,andanewapproach,[and]wethinkpeopleare
intonewthingsratherthanold-fashionedthings.That’swhatwethoughtwasthebest
thingaboutit…Peoplelikegettingagimmick.’(Female,Bristol,withoutchildren)
Marketingideas
Ingeneral,theparticipantsdidnotengagewellwiththeheatingcontrol.Theywereunsureofthe
benefitstheproductofferedandso,correspondingly,theadvertisementstheycreatedwerenotvery
developed.Ingeneral,theyresortedtorecitingtheinformationthathadbeengiventothem,
displayingimagesofthecontrolsbeinginstalled,andexplainingthevariousfeaturesitcomprised.
Theonegroupthatwasmostpositiveabouttheproductemphasisedprimarilythepotentialitoffered
tosavemoney,butalsoemphasisedtheenvironmentalbenefits:
‘Wethinkthat’squiteapositiveandgreenthing…you’renotwastingheat,you’renot
wastingenergy,sothatwilldothegreenside.Wethinkitwillactuallyappealto
everybody,becauseeverybodywantstosavemoneyontheirheatingbillsand
sometimes[thinks]…“Idon’tknowhowtochangemyheating”.’(Female,Bristol,with
children)
Oneothergroupdevisedanadvertisementwithastrongmessage,focusingpurelyonthefinancial
benefitsoftheproduct.Itsaimwastoemphasisethewaythatheatinginthehomewasdirectlylinked
tospendingmoney.Thiswasachievedbydepictingahousewithnoheatingcontrol,withpoundsigns
escapingfromthepropertylikeheat,andahousewithheatingcontrolswiththepoundsignsstaying
intheproperty.Tofurtheremphasisethisbenefit,andtoplaytoconcernsthattheaudiencemayhave
aboutthecostsofheating,theimageswereaccompaniedbytheslogan‘Yourcostscontrollingyou??
Keepcontrolofyourcosts!!’.
LikethegroupthatusedTessDalyandVernonKaytoselltheenergymonitor,onegroupuseda
celebritycouple,LouiseandJamieRedknapp,toselltheheatingcontrol.Thegroupindicatedthatthis
wastodrawonthecouple’simageasbeingdowntoearthandfamilyoriented.Anothergroupused
televisionpresenterMichaelParkinson,becausetheybelievedhewasperceivedastrustworthy.
Solarpanels
‘Solarpanel’isacommontermfor‘photovoltaicmodule’,whichcanbeusedinalargerphotovoltaic
systemtocreateelectricity.Therearetwomainforms:solarelectricityandsolarhotwaterpanels.Itis
possibleforahouseholdtoruncompletelyoffphotovoltaicelectricityfromtheuseofsolarpanels,yet
thisisunlikelyinmostcases.
Inhibitingfactors
Therewerefrequentdiscussionsamongparticipantsaboutthepooraestheticvaluesofthesolarpanel
model,andofsolarpanelsmoregenerally.Severalparticipantswereunconvincedaboutthemodel’s
claimtofitflushontotheroof:
‘Butthat’swhatyourroofwouldlooklike?Ijustdon’tthinkforanaestheticpointof
viewitwouldlookverypleasant.Imean,I’vehadacompletelybrandnewroof,andI
wouldn’twantthatstuckonmyhouse.’(Bristol,Male,withchildren)
‘Ihaveafriendthathasgotsolarpanels–theylookhideousonherroof,though.’
However,whileimportant,generallythiswasnotconsideredaverysignificantfactor,andother
participantswereambivalentaboutwhattheirrooflookedlike.
‘They’reactuallynotasunsightlyastheyusedtobe.Yearsagoyouusedtoseethem
randomlyonoddhousesinthecountryside,didn’tyou–theyusedtobequitebig
things.Actuallythey’renotthatbad,arethey?’(Female,York,withchildren)
Amainfactorthatinhibitedparticipantsfromwantingtobuytheproductwasagenerallackof
knowledgeaboutsolarpanels.Theyweregivenafactsheetaboutmodelsolarpanels,butallgroups
indicatedthattheyneededmoreinformation.Questionswereaskedaboutwhethertherewasenough
sunshineintheUKforthepanelstoworkwell.
‘Idon’tknowhowefficientitisinthiscountry.’(Female,London,withoutchildren)
‘Howmuchrealsundoyouneedtopowerthese?Idon’tknowthat–Iwouldn’t
know.’(Female,London,withchildren)
Manywantedtoknowthepaybacktimeandhowmuchofahousehold’senergytheproductwould
actuallyproduce.Somefairlyextravagantestimatesweremadeaboutthisfigure,withthe
presumptionbeingthatthepanelcouldproducefarmoreelectricitythantheyactuallycan.
Themaindisincentivetobuyingthepanelwasthehighupfrontcost.Intheobservations,where
participantshadaccesstomoredetailedinformationaboutsolarpanelsthaninthegroups,nonesaw
thisasarealisticoption,duetothelowlevelsofenergyoutputandcorrespondinglylongpayback
times.Forsomeworkshopparticipants,thefactthattheydidnotplantoliveintheircurrenthomes
foralongperiodoftimewasacontributingfactortotheirresponse.Severalcommentedthatdueto
thehighcosts,installingsolarpanelswasmoreabout‘doingyourbit’thanarealisticpurchaseoption:
‘It’saveryexpensiveoutlay,andit’snotour“forever”house.’(Female,London,
withoutchildren)
‘It’salotofmoneytonotsaveyoumuch…That’smoreaboutdoingyourbit,isn’tit?’
‘Wholivesinapropertyfor20yearsnow?That’sthedownside,isn’tit?’(Male,York,
withoutchildren)
‘Obviouslyweallwanttosavemoney,buttohavetospendout£10,000for,say,£35a
year,unlessyou’reintendingtostayinyourproperty–whoknowswhat’sgoingto
happen?SoIdon’twanttolookthatfarahead.’(Female,London,withoutchildren)
Encouragingfactors
Therewasasignificantpotentialforencouragingtheuptakeofsolarpanelsbythetargetgroup.In
general,theparticipantswerepositiveaboutthepurchase,andmanywouldhavebeeninterestedin
buyingthisproducthaditcostless.
SeveralsuggestedwaysinwhichtheGovernmentcouldregulatetomakesolarpanelsmoreaccessible:
acommonsuggestionwasinstallingthemonallnewbuildingsorcouncilhouses.Anotherwasa0per
centloanforthecostoftheproduct,payablebackoverfiveyears.AnotherwasfortheGovernment
tooffsetthecostofinstallingoneagainstone’sstampduty:
‘IwilldowhatIcanto…domypartinfightingclimatechange.I,likemostpeople,
[am]limitedfinancially[asto]whatIcando.Iwouldlovetheideaofhavingsolar
panels,forexample,butthecostisentirelyprohibitive.’(Male,London,without
children)
‘Ithinkit’sreallyappealing–it’sjustthecostreallythatputmeoff.I’dhavethat
tomorrowifitwasn’tsoexpensive.’(Female,York,withchildren)
‘I’vealwaysthoughtthattheroofissuchawastedspace,andwhattheyshould
probablydoissticktheseonanewbuildandsay,“Right,everyone’shousepricesare
nineor10grandmore”,andyou’dautomaticallyhavethem.There’snoreasonwhyno
roofshouldhavethoseatall.’(Male,Bristol,withchildren)
Acommonthemethatemergedwasthathavingasolarpanelenabledtheusertobeself-sufficient
andthereforeinsulatedfromchangingorrisingenergyprices.Itwasforthisreasonthattwoofthe
participantshadpreviouslyconsideredbuyingsolarpanels,eventhoughtheydisplayedhighlevelsof
cynicismaboutthemotivationsofgovernmentaroundactiononclimatechange:
‘It’salsobecauseitmakesyouself-sufficient.You’renotnecessarilyatthemercyof
anyothercompaniesthatchargeyoutheirrates.Ifyouhaveyourownsolarenergy,or
somethingalongthoselines,inyourhomethenyou’renothavingtobendoverto
whatevercompanyandpaywhateverbillswhentheydecidetohiketheirpricesup…
Soitdoesmakealotmoresensenow.’(Female,London,withchildren)
Marketingideas
Theenvironmentalbenefitsfiguredmorestronglyintheadvertisementsforthesolarpanelthanin
thosefortheenergymonitor.However,forsomethiswasrelatedtoaperceptionofsolarpanelsasa
productthatwouldonlybepurchasedbyenvironmentallyinclinedpeople.
Inothercasestheenvironmentalbenefitwasmentionedasasecondaryorminorbenefit,alongside
otherreasonsforbuyingtheproduct.Theseincludedbeingabletosavemoney,beingabletoinsulate
oneselffromfluctuatingenergyprices,andaddingvaluetoone’sproperty.Oneoftheadvertisements
usedimagestoexplainthesebenefits,suchasapiggybankforsavingmoney,andanoilrigtomake
thelinktoresourceuse:
‘Benefits:reducesdependencyonfluctuatingenergyprices,soitdoesn’tmatterifthey
goupordown–you’restillquidsin.’(Male,Bristol,withchildren)
‘Doyouwanttoaddvaluetoyourhouse?Ohyes,ladiesandgentlemen,withthe
creditcrunchI’msurethatyoudo.Doyouwanttoinvestyourmoneywiselyunder
creditcruncherGordonBrown?Ohyes,I’msureyoudo.Doyouwanttogogreenand
doyourbittomakeyourchildrenproudofyou?I’msureyoudo.Anddoyouwantto
saveonyourbills?Ofcourseyoudo!…Ladiesandgentlemen,it’saninvestmentfor
thefuture:speculatetoaccumulate.’(Female,London,withchildren)
‘There’soildrums,that’sanoilrigjusttoshowthecostofnaturalgasandoilgoingup
inthefuture,becauseit’sobviouslyquitehighnow,andthepollution–thedark
cloudsatthetop.’(Male,York,withoutchildren)
Twooftheadvertisementsdepictedcontrastingideasabouthowtosellthesolarpanel.One,created
byafemalegroup,putastrongemphasisonnormalisingtheproductusinganimageofanordinary
rowofhouses,withasolarpanelbeingfitted.Theyexplainedthattheythoughtitwasimportantto
makeitseemaccessibleforaveragefamiliesandnotjustthepreserveoftherich,althoughthey
commentedthatthepricemeantthatthiswasreallythecase.
‘WewantedanaverageJoeBloggsfamilysothatyoucouldunderstandthat:“Oh
yeah,actuallyourfamilyislikethat–that’showwecouldbenefit…”Wedidn’twant
toputacelebrityonitbecausethenthatmakesitlookasthoughonlypeoplewith
moneycanafforditorwouldbenefitfromit.’(Female,York,withchildren)
Incontrast,oneofthemalegroupschoseaHollywoodfilmstar,SamuelLJackson,tosellthe
product.Theychosetodrawonthiscelebrity’simageandhighprofiletomaketheproductseem
attractive:
‘Sowethoughtwe’dgetSamuelJacksonbecauseheiscool!Thatguycouldsellsand
andyou’dbeinterested,wouldn’tyou?Sowe’veputhimonthetellyonhisown,
saying“Lookatthis!’’’(Male,Bristol,withchildren)
Oneothergroupsuggestedusingthewell-knownnaturalistDavidAttenborough,becauseofhis
strongassociationwiththeenvironment.
Theparticipantswerepresentedwithimagesofninecars.Thecarschosenincludedsomerenowned
forbeingmoreorlessenvironmentally-friendly,andotherpopularmodels.Eachimagewas
accompaniedbythemakeandmodelofthecar,andotherinformationsuchasfeaturesincludedin
theinterior,thetimeittooktogofrom0to60milesperhour(mph),themilespergallon(mpg),the
fueltype,andwhetherthevehiclewasneworsecondhand.
Thecarsandtheircharacteristicswereselectedtostimulateabroaddiscussionaboutthekeyfactors
thatinfluenceparticipants’choicesaboutbuyingcars.Theparticipantswereaskedtoselectthecar
theywouldmostandleastwanttobuy.Thegroupthendiscussedthesechoicesandthereasonsfor
them.
Generalfactorsinfluencingvehicle-purchasingdecisions
Thediscussionswithinthegroupsdemonstratedthatabroadvarietyoffactorsinfluencecar-
purchasingdecisions.Concernsabouttheenvironmentalimpactofcarswerenotidentifiedasa
significantfactorbehindanyoftheparticipants’purchasingdecisions.Whereparticipantsdid
commentthatenvironmentalperformanceplayedapartintheirdecision,thiswassecondaryto
reductionsincostduetofuelefficiencyorlowerroadtax.Itisthereforeessentialtoconsiderall
factorsthataffectcarpurchasesbecauseitisonthesecriteriathatallcars(whetherenvironmentally-
friendlyornot)werejudgedandcompared.Thesefactorsarediscussedbrieflybelow.
Participantshadstrongpreconceptionsaboutthecarsthatwouldandwouldnotbeaffordablefor
them.Mostplacedastrongemphasisonensuringthatthechosencarprovidedgood‘valuefor
money’:
‘Obviously,pricedictateswhatyoubuy.’(Female,London,withchildren)
Practicalconsiderationssuchaswhothecarwouldbeusedby,andwhatitwouldbeusedfor,were
majorfactors.Forexample,ifthecarweretobeusedforcommutinglongdistances,itsfuelefficiency
wouldbeparticularlyimportant,andifthecarwasforafamilythenalargermodelwouldberequired:
‘Ifyouaregoingtodolongjourneys,itdefineswhatcaryouget,doesn’tit?Ifyou’re
notgoingveryfarandyoulive…inthecountry,maybeaRangeRover,andthen
there’stheSmartCarforthecity.Ifyou’vegotfamily,yougetthepeoplecarrier.’
(Male,Bristol,withoutchildren)
Thequalityandreliabilityofthecarwerealsoconsideredveryimportant.Here,thebrandand
reputationofthecarmanufacturerplayedabigroleinshapingparticipants’perceptions.Many
participantssharedstronglyheldperceptionsofthequalityofcertainmakesofcar.Forexample,
Germancarswereoftenreferredtoasbeingwellmade,whiletherewasafeelingthatFrenchcars
werenot.Someparticipantsexplainedthattheyhadaverystrongloyaltytoparticularbrands,having
hadpositiveexperienceswiththeminthepast.Amongtheparentsinthegroups,thesafetylevelof
thecarwasalsoparticularlyimportant:
‘IhavehadfourAudisbeforeandIabsolutelyloveAudis…It’salwaysthebrandthat
we’vegonefor,sowe’vestuckwithit.’(Female,York,withchildren)
‘Especiallyevenmorewiththechildrennow,Iwantsomethingthat’sgoingtoholdits
owninanaccident.’(Female,York,withchildren)
Thecolourandaestheticofthecarswerealsoveryimportantfactors.Severalofthefemale
participants’statedthisasthemostimportant:
‘I’dpickthecolourovertheengine.Sorry,it’sareallygirlythingtosay,butit’strue.’
Participantsalsoperceivedtheimageofthecartobeveryimportant.Althoughlinkedtoitsaesthetics
ofthecar,participantstendedtorefertocertainimage-relatedcharacteristicstheyassociatedwiththe
car.Forexample,somecarsweregenerallyassumedtobeforaparticulargender,withtheAudiTT
oftendescribedasa‘girls’car’.Othercarswereheavilyassociatedwithparticularjobs,withthe
Mondeocommonlyassociatedwithsalesrepresentatives.
Itisdifficulttodrawwidelyapplicableconclusionsaboutperceptionsoftheimageofcertaincars,as
thesevariedfromparticipanttoparticipant.Oftenparticipantswouldbasetheirjudgementsofacar’s
imageagainstthecontextoftheirperceptionofcurrenttrendsandfashions.Forexample,theBeetle
andMiniwereregularlyreferredtoasbeing‘character’or‘statement’cars.Someparticipantsfound
thesequalitiesveryattractive,understandingthemtocomplementthewaythedriverssaw
themselves,whileothersfoundthesecharacteristicsandthecars’popularityoff-putting.
[ReferringtotheBeetle]‘It’smypersonality.It’sfast,itssporty,it’sslick.That’swhatI
wouldchoose.That’swhatIlike.’(Female,London,withoutchildren)
‘MyleastfavouriteistheMini,onlybecauseIknoweveryonethinkstheyaretrendy.’
‘Beetleisanimageisn’tit–justlikeMini?It’snotaneverydaycar,theBeetle.You
eitherlikeBeetlesoryoudon’t.’(Male,Bristol,withchildren)
OnetypeofcarthatstoodoutashavingaparticularlynegativeimagewastheSUV(sportsutility
vehicleor4-wheeldrive),althoughthiswasbynomeansaconsensusviewacrosstheparticipants–
manychosetheLandRoverFreelanderastheirfavouritepurchaseamongthestimulusmaterial.Those
withastrongdislikeforSUVsassertedthattheyarenotpracticalforuseincitiesandarenotsafefor
otherroadusersandpedestrians.Alotofcriticismwasdirectedatthedriversofthistypeofcar,who
wereoftendescribedasbeing‘selfish’,andthecarswerebilledasstatussymbolsfortheupper
classes:
‘Ithinkitssomethingtodowiththepeoplethatdrive[them]…Ijustfindthemreally
selfishpeople…Idon’tunderstandpeoplethathavetheminthecity,becausethey
polluteandtakeupsomuchspace–andtheyhavethearrogancewhenthey’re
driving.’(Female,London,withoutchildren)
‘I’mnotmadon4x4s...Theydriveliketheyowntheroadsanddon’tmindiftheyhit
you–butit’smyfavouritecaroutofallthecarshere.’(Female,London,withchildren)
‘There’sfartoomany[SUVs]inRichmondandHam,andit’saverysmalltown.It’snot
theSerengeti–it’sonlyRichmondPark.’(Female,London,withchildren)
Fuelefficiencyandroadtaxweretheonlyfactorsidentifiedthataffectedparticipants’purchasing
decisionsthatwereofdirectrelevancetoamodel’semissions.Oftheinformationpresentedtothe
participants,milespergallonandfuelconsumptionwerethemostdiscussedcharacteristics.Many
participantsdescribedhowrecenthighpetrolbillshadbeenhardtomanage,andsomerevealedthat
thesehighpriceshadimpactedontheirpreviouspurchasingdecisions.Forexample,oneparticipant
hadhadtogiveupdrivinganSUVbecausetheycouldnotaffordtorunitanymore.
Someparticipantslinkedhighpetrolbillstodiminishingfuelresources:
‘[Milespergallon]hasgotmoreimportantformeoverthelastfewyears.Yearsago,
whenitwasjustmeandIwasn’tbothered,Iwouldn’tcare:Ialwayshadbigflashycars
andthingslikethat[that]Icouldafford…Ihadnocommitments.Now,itmakesa
difference.’(Female,London,withchildren)
‘I’vegottothestagenow–especiallywhenthepetrolwasnearly£1.20alitre–Iwas
thinking“I’mabitofamughere,becauseI’malwaysdriving”.’(Female,London,
withoutchildren)
‘Personally,Iwouldn’tbuyanycar,really,attheminute,becauseofthecurrentcredit
crunchsituation.ButifIwas,Iwouldprobablybuythatone[theHondaCivicHybrid],
becauseitdoes61.4mpg.….Idoabitofmileage,so[it]willbequiteeconomical.’
(Male,York,withoutchildren)
Severalparticipantscitedavoidinghighroadtaxforcarswithhighemissionsasadeterminingfactor
behindpreviouspurchasingdecisions.Thishadcommonlyoccurredwhenpurchasingacompanycar,
becauseofrestrictionsthathadbeenplacedbythecompanyuponthepurchase.Thesetaxeshadhad
asignificantimpactonparticipants’awarenessofcarbonemissions.However,theyhaveresultedin
behaviourchangebecauseofthecostimplications,ratherthanduetotheparticipants’desireto
behaveinawaythatwasmoreenvironmentally-friendly.
‘Tobehonest,Igotacompanycarnotthatlongago,andIlookedat[theHondaCivic]
becauseofthelowemissions,becauseIdidn’twanttogetstungontax.’(Male,
Bristol,withchildren)
‘Ithinkonethingthatwouldbeafactornowforme,whichisn’tsomethingthatI’ve
everthoughtaboutbefore,istoflagemissionsandthatsortofthing–because
obviouslyyou’vegottoweighthatupforyourtax.’(Female,York,withchildren)
Attitudestowardsenergy-efficientvehicles
Thestimulusmaterialforthegroupsincludedtwocarswithhighfuelefficiency:aHondaCivicHybrid
andaSmartCar.Thetwocarsproducedverydifferentreactionsfromtheparticipants.These
differenceswereexplainedbothbyparticipants’perceivedviewsofthetwocarsinrelationtothe
factorsdescribedabove,andbytheirperceptionsofpeoplewhoengageinenvironmentally-friendly
behaviours.
TheHondaCivicwasbyfarthebestreceivedofthetwocars.Althoughonlyasmallminorityofthe
participantsidentifieditastheirfavouritepurchase,itwasgenerallyregardedpositivelyandprovoked
littlecriticism.Positivecommentsarosefromparticipants’perceptionsthatHondawasareliablebrand
andthatthelookofthecarwas‘modern’and‘stylish’.Theyreferredtoitshighmpgasanimportant
factor,andsomealsowelcomedtheenvironmentalbenefitofferedbythisfuelefficiency,asa
secondarybenefit.Others,however,thoughtthecarwasveryexpensiveandfounditsappearancetoo
plain:
‘Becauseit’sagoodsizecar,it’smodernandlikeafamilycar.You’vegotyourfour
doors,whichIthinkisquiteagoodthingtohaveifyou’vegotafamily,anditlooks
quitetrendyish,doesn’tit?’(Female,York,withchildren)
‘Iknowit’sahybrid,yes,you’llsavemoneyinpetrol,but17grand?Surelytheyshould
makeitmoreaffordableiftheyaretryingtosellitasanenvironmentalcar.’(Male,
Bristol,withoutchildren)
‘WiththeHondaCivic.Thefactthatit’sahybrid...ithasmoreofanappealnow
becausethatdoesmakemethinkaboutthings…’(Female,London,withoutchildren)
TheSmartCarwasfarlesswellreceived.Averysmallminoritywereinterestedinbuyingthiscar
becauseoftheeaseitofferedforgettingaroundinurbanareas.However,themajorityofparticipants
wereverynegative.Thisnegativityfocusedlargelyontheaestheticsofthecar.Itwasalsodescribed
usingsimilarlanguagetothatdirectedtowardspeoplewhoengageinenvironmentally-friendly
behaviour–specifically‘smug’and‘self-righteous’.
AswiththeSUV,criticismswerealsodirectedatthepeoplewhodriveSmartCarsratherthanatthe
caritself.SomeparticipantssuggestedthatdriversofSmartCarsattempttoattractattentionby
havingacarthatlookssodifferenttoothers,andthisideacontributedtothefeelingsofnegativity
towardsthem:
‘Iwouldn’tbeseendeadinone…Itlookslikeabigtraineronwheels.They’rejust
unattractive.’(Female,London,withoutchildren)
‘Ithinktheylooklikedisabledcars.’(Female,London,withchildren)
‘Ijusthatethewaypeopleparkthem.Ijusthatethesmugnessofthem.’(Male,Bristol,
withchildren)
TwoparticipantsdirectlycomparedtheHondaCivicwiththeSmartCar,astwoenvironmentally-
friendlycars,intermsoftheirperceived‘smugness’and‘self-righteousness’.BothfeltthattheHonda
waslesslikelytobedescribedinthiswaythantheSmartCar.Itseemsthattheunconventional
aestheticsoftheSmartCaranditshighenvironmentalperformanceservetoreinforcenegative
stereotypesofpeoplewhotakeupenvironmentalbehaviour.TheHonda’smoreconventional
aestheticsandthestrengthoftheHondabrandhelpittoovercomethesebarriers:
‘ThatHondaCivic…Idon’tknowifit’sasgoodfortheenvironment,orlessormore…
neitherofthemyouhavetopaytheCongestionChargewith.ButatleasttheHonda
Civicisapropercar.That[theSmartCar]isjustvile.’(Female,London,without
children)
‘There’ssomewhatofasmugnessof[SmartCars],whereastheHondaCivic–itdoesn’t
seemsosmug.It’smoreenvironmentalandpractical.But[theSmartCaris]moreofa:
“I’mbeingenvironmentalandpractical,andlookatmebecauseIhavethistitchy
witchycarandIamsoamazinglyenvironmental”.’(Female,London,withoutchildren)
UKholidays
Theworkshopparticipantswerepresentedwithinformationabout11holidaysintheUK.Participants
weregivenanimageoftheholiday,withinformationaboutthetypeofholiday,thelocation,the
lengthofstay,thenumberofpeopleincluded,thecostofthebreak,andwhatwasincludedinthe
price.Differentholidayswereselected,tostimulateabroaddiscussionaboutthekeyfactors
determiningthechoicesparticipantsmadewhenselectingaholiday.
Theparticipantswereaskedtochoosetheholidaytheywouldmostwanttotake,andtheholiday
theywouldleastliketotake.Thegroupthendiscussedthesechoicesandtheirreasons.Particular
focuswasgiventoexploringattitudestowardsholidayingintheUKasopposedtogoingabroad.
Includedwithinthiswasadiscussionabouttheparticipants’attitudestowardsdifferentmodesof
transportfortravellingonholiday.
Aswiththediscussiononcarpurchases,participantsidentifiedsomegeneralfactorsthatinfluenced
allholidaypurchases.Theseincludedthecost,whowasgoingonthebreak,and,forparents,the
specificneedsoftheirchildren.Manyparticipantsindicatedtheywouldnormallytakeseveraldifferent
typesofholidayperyear,invaryinglocations,andwithdifferentpeople.Thismeansthattheir
decisionsaboutwhichholidaytogoonweremadeinthecontextofotherholidaystheyhadtaken
recentlyorwereplanningtotake.
FactorsinfluencingdecisionstoholidayintheUK
Ingeneral,theparticipantsweresurprisedbythecontentsofthestimulusmaterials.Becausewehad
indicatedthattheactivitywouldbefocusingonholidays,manyhadexpectedtoseeholidaysabroad.
WhilethematerialsshowedanumberofdifferenttypesofholidayindifferentlocationsintheUK,a
significantamountofthediscussionfocussedontakingholidaysabroad.Asaresult,someveryclear
themesemergedaboutwhyparticipantspreferredtogooverseas.
ThemostprominentofthesewasthelackofsunshineandamountofrainintheUK.Participants
consideredhavinggood,hotweatherandaswimmingpooltobekeyingredientsforanyholiday,and
thistypeofweatherwasnotperceivedtobeguaranteedintheUK.Participantsfromallgroups
recountedanecdotesaboutholidaysintheUKthathadbeenspoiledbecauseofbadweather.The
onlyparticipantwhomentionedhavingmadeachoiceinfluencedbyenvironmentalconsiderations
wentontorecounthowhavingchosentoholidayinCornwallithadrainedallthetime.Shenowfelt
thatshehadbeencheatedoutofaholiday,andintendedtogoabroadnexttime.
‘Wenormallygoabroad,butweweretryingtobequiteethicalthisyearandtheyall
hadtherighttypeofclothes…Ihadonapairoftrainersandakagool,andIthought
itwasthoroughlymiserable.’(Female,London,withchildren)
‘Atleastifyougoabroad,youknowyou’regoingtogetwarmweatheranda
swimmingpool.’(York,male,withoutchildren)
AnotherfactorthatinhibitedparticipantsfromtakingholidaysintheUKwasthecostinvolved.They
feltthiswasparticularlyhighwhencomparedwiththeoptionoftakingcheapflightstogoabroadto
acountrywithlowerlivingcosts.Someparticipantsalsocommentedontheincreasingcostsofgoing
onholidayinEurope,andhowthisencouragedthemtolookfurtherafield:
‘Iwouldratherspendthosepricesgoingawaysomewhereabroadwhereyouactually
feellikeyou’regettingvalueformoney.’(Female,London,withoutchildren)
‘Mynextholiday,Iwanttogoto,say,Egypt[or]India,orIwanttogotoThailand.A
tickettothoseplacesisvery,veryexpensivebutthecostofbeingthereischeaper.’
Manyoftheparticipantssuggestedthatatrue‘holiday’requiredsunandaswimmingpool,andfelt
thatthestimulusmaterialshowedtripsthatweremorelike‘breaks’than‘holidays’.Formany,a
holidayneededtoinvolveafeelingof‘gettingaway’.Fordifferentparticipants,thisinvolvedfactors
suchasdifferenttypesofshops,peoplespeakingdifferentlanguages,andbeingawayfromtheir
mobilephoneandUKnewspapers.Alsoimportantformanyparticipantswashavingnewexperiences,
andthisincludedbeinginaforeigncountryandexperiencingdifferentcultures:
‘Ididn’tthinkanyofthemwereparticularly“holidays”…IguessIwouldprobablyclass
themas“breaksfromwork”ratherthan“holidays”.’(Male,York,withoutchildren)
‘Whenyou’reinEnglandonaweekendbreakyouhaveyourphoneonandstuffstill,
andyoudon’trelax,soyoudefinitelyhavetogoabroad.’(Female,Bristol,without
children)
‘Whenyouwantaholidayyouwantabreak.Youwanttocompletely…getout–likeI
said,experienceadifferentculture,maybehaveabitofsun,bitofbeach.Evenifit’sa
city,it’ssomewheredifferent.Tome–Idon’tknow–GreatBritaindoesn’toffer
enoughvariationofthingsthatIwanttodo.’(Female,London,withoutchildren)
‘We’vetakenthelittliesonholidayquiteafewtimeslastyear,abroad,andjustthe
differentculturesandexperiencesthattheygatherbeingoutofthiscountry,Ithinkit’s
justinvaluablereally.’(Female,York,withchildren)
Inallthegroups,theperceptionsandattitudesthatdiscouragedparticipantsfromchoosingholidays
intheUKwereverystronglyheldandpervasive.Therewereveryfewdiscussionsthatsuggestedthat
participantscouldbepersuadedtostoptakingholidaysabroad.
However,participantswerepositiveabouttakingtripsaroundtheUKifthesewereinadditionto,
ratherthaninsteadof,a‘properholiday’.Manyspokepositivelyaboutcertainareasofthecountry,
suchasCornwall.Someareasweredescribedashavingverybeautifulscenery,andsomecitieswere
alsodescribedpositively.Themajorityoftheparticipantssaidtheywouldbeinterestedintakingone
ofthebreaksfeaturedinthestimulusmaterial.
Inparticular,manyparentswereverypositiveabouttakingtripstotheCenterParcsholidayvillages,
andotherparticipantswereinterestedintakingaveryshortspabreak.Caravanningprovokedamixed
response,withsomeparticipantsreferringbacktonegativechildhoodmemoriesofcaravanholidays,
whileothersfelttheywouldenjoysuchabreak.Somewereenthusiasticaboutthefeaturedcity
breaks.TherewasafeelingamongsomeparticipantsthattheUKweatherwasmanageableifone
preparedforit:
‘Ifyougettheweather,ifyougodowntoCornwallandyougettheweather,thenit’s
fabulous.’(Female,London,withoutchildren)
‘Ithinkalotofplacesyougoabroad,tobeautifulislandsandmountainsandstuff…a
lotofitisonyourdoorstep.IwenttoSnowdoniaonlyforacoupleofdaysacoupleof
monthsago[and]that’samazing–reallybeautiful.ButpeoplegotoNewZealandfor
thatsortofthing.Imean,NewZealandisbeautifultoobutthere’ssimilarstuffin
England,andtheHighlandsaswell.’(Male,York,withchildren)
‘We’vestayedinacottageinNorthumberlandaswell–obviouslynotforseven
nights…itwasforalongweekend–buteventhoughtheweatherwasn’tparticularly
brilliant,Ithinkinthiscountryyousortofexpectitnottobebrilliantsoyouget
gearedupforitandyoujustgooutanywayandregardless.Youjustthink“Ohwell,
we’lljustputthekagoolsonorthewaterproofs,andwe’llgooutandhaveawalk”.’
Withthefinallower-carbonchoicediscussed,participantsweresimplyaskedfortheirthoughtsabout
takingthetraintogoonholiday.Manyoftheparticipantssaidtheytendedtotakeholidaysabroad,
ofteninmedium-haulandlong-haullocations.Becauseofthis,flyingwasoftenperceivedtobethe
onlytransportoptionavailable.Itwasalsoperceivedasaverycheaptraveloption.
Severalparticipantscommentedthatbeingatanairportwasexcitingandsignalledtothemthatthe
holidayhadbegun:
‘Theholidaystartsattheairport.’(Female,London,withoutchildren)
‘Ilikeflying–it’sexciting.Ithinkalso,nowadays,it’squitereasonable[pricewise]to
flysonoreasonsnotto–unlessyou’rescaredofflying.’(Female,Bristol,without
children)
‘Igetexcitedgoingtotheairport…That’sstillahassle,isn’tit,gettingtotheairport
andallthat,butIgetreallyexcitedbecauseI’mgoingaway.’(Female,London,with
children)
Thissenseofexcitementwasseldommentionedinrelationtoothertransportoptions,althoughsome
commentedthattheexperienceoftakingtheEurostarwascomparable.
Severaldiscussionsfocusedonthe‘hassle’involvedinflying,suchastakingflightsduringthenightor
earlymorning,beingflownintoairportslocatedfarfromtheultimatedestination,andhavingtoarrive
early.However,thepredominantviewwasthatthedownsideswereoutweighedbythebenefits–
althoughsomesaidtheywouldpaymoreforflightsinordertoavoidsomeoftheseinconveniences.
SomeparticipantshadtravelledbytraintoholidaydestinationsintheUK,andbyEurostartoParis.
Travellingbytrainwasviewedasinvolvinglesshasslethanflying,andasmorerelaxing.However,
participantsarguedthattravellingaroundtheUKbytrainisveryexpensive,andthatreachingplaces
outsideofmajortownsbytrainisdifficult.OtherthantakingtheEurostartoParis,participantsdid
notperceivetravellingtoEuropeandestinationsbytrainasaviablealternativetoflying:
‘I’mgoingtoParisinacoupleofweeksanditwasachoicebetweentrainorflying.It’s
beenmoreexpensivetogoonatrainbutit’ssomucheasier.Somuchmorerelaxing.’
(Male,York,withoutchildren)
‘It’squiterelaxing–it’slessstressful.Yousitonthetrain,andyoucanreadorjust
relax,anditjustsavesthatstressofdrivingthatdistance–especiallyifyou’reonyour
own.Thenifyou’regoinganyfurther,likeScotland,I’dfly.’(Female,Bristol,without
children)
‘Thejourneythingisjustnotme.I’mlike“Justgetmethereasquicklyaspossible”,
andifI’monatrainIsleepandlistentomymusic.I’mnotagoodtravelleratall.’
Someparticipantsfeltitwasimportanttohavetheflexibilityofferedbytravellingbycartotheir
holidaydestinationandhavingacaronceonholiday:
‘IwouldconsidertheEurotunnelbecauseyou’vestillgotthatluxuryofthecarwhen
yougetthere.Idon’tliketheideaofbeingsomewhere…toofarawaywithoutacar.’
(Female,Bristol,withoutchildren)
Homeenergyassessments
Havingexploredtheresponsestothesixspecificlower-carbonconsumerchoices,wenowgoonto
considertheresultsofthehomeenergyassessmentsandin-depthinterviews.
Aspartofourstudy,wecommissionedthelifestylemanagementcompanyTentoprovidean
adaptationofitsgreenconciergeserviceto10NowPeople,intheformofahomeenergyassessment.
Aprofessionaldomesticenergyassessorvisitedeachpersonandconductedadetailedenergy
assessmentoftheirhome.Thisinvolvedmeasuringaspectsofenergyuse,suchasheating,insulation
andlighting,andidentifyingpotentialareasforimprovement.Theassessorthenbriefedthe
participantontheresults.Anipprresearcherobservedthisbriefingandthenconductedashortin-
depthinterviewwiththeparticipant.Findingsfromtheobservationsareincludedthroughoutthe
report,butwesummarisehereparticipants’attitudestowardsandresponsestothehomeenergy
assessments.
Participants’attitudestotheassessments
Mostparticipantswerepositiveabouthavingaprofessionalenergyassessmentcarriedoutontheir
home,andwereinterestedinhearingthefindings.Theywerehappytoreceivereliableinformationto
complementorcontrastwithwhattheyalreadybelievedabouttheirenergyuse:
‘It’sfascinating...Itgivesyoucontexttoyourworries,soitanswersyou–ifyouhave
gotworriesaboutyourhouse,someonecomingandactually[saying]“No,that’sfine”,
or“Yes,youdohaveaproblem”.’(Male,London,withchildren)
AttitudestowardsTen’sfollow-upservice(forexample,obtainingquotesforundertakinghome
improvementsrecommendedbytheassessment)weremixed.Whilesomesawthebenefitsofbeing
abletoaccessreliablecontractors,otherswerekeentohaveonlytheinitialassessmentandthen
arrangequotesandthecarryingoutofanyworkthemselves.Formany,itwasimportantthatthe
informationreceivedwasfromanindependentsourceand,inparticular,thatitwasnotlinkedto
effortstosellanyoftheenergy-savingmeasures.
‘It’sawarenesshe’sgivingyou,whichIthinkisagoodpoint…Ithinkifsomeonecame
inandwasdressedlikeabuilderandhesaid“Getintouchwiththesepeople,these
peopleandthesepeople”…I’dthink,“Hangonforaminute,thanksfortheadvice
andawareness,I’llgoaway…Idon’twantnothingelse”.’(Male,London,with
children)
‘Shewasn’tdoingasalespitchoranythinglikethatsono,itwasgood.’(Female,
‘Ratherthangettinginasalesman…independentadviceisgood,definitely.’(Male,
London,withchildren)
Someparticipantsreferredtothebenefitsofreceivinginformationaboutenergyuse,whichtheyhad
previouslyheardonlywhendescribedingeneralterms,applieddirectlytotheirparticularsituation:
‘Tobeabletoseethepercentageofhowmuchyoucansavebyimplementingthings–
that’stheusefulthing–toactuallybeabletoseeit.Ratherthansaying“Youshould
dothis,youshoulddothat,youshoulddotheother”…tosee,ifyoudiddoit,the
result.’(Female,London,withchildren)
Formanyparticipantsthevisualcomponents,suchasgraphsoftheirenergyuseandtheexamination
oftheirhomewithathermalimagingcamera,wereparticularlyengaging:
‘Toactuallyseeitinagraph…likethat,setoutquiteclearly,itmakesitreally
interesting–reallyeasyformetoread,beingthatsortofperson.’(Female,London,
withchildren)
‘Theheatsensorthingisfantasticbecauseitbringsittolife.’(Male,London,with
children)
Inaddition,theassessorsplayedanimportantroleinmakingtheparticipantsfeelcomfortablewith
theassessment,andinrelayingtheresultsinaninterestingmanner:
‘Tohavesomepersoncomewalkingaroundmyhouse,hemademefeelvery
comfortable–verypersonableman….Whenweweretalkingaboutdrivingtothegym
andthingslikethat,hesaidhecouldrelatetolotsofthingsIwassaying.Thatwas
nice:hewasputtinghispersonalexperiences…ratherthangivingmefacts,figures.’
Participantscorrectlyestimatedthattheservicewouldbeworthapproximately£100–£200,but
generallywerenotkeenonpurchasingitthemselves–particularlygiventhecurrenteconomic
circumstances.
Reactionstothefindings
Theresultsofthehomeenergyassessmentsvariedwidelybetweenparticipantsdependingontheir
housingtypeandsize,andonthelevelofenergy-efficiencymeasuresalreadyinstalled.
Someparticipantsweresurprisedathowwelltheirhomeperformedoverall,andotherswerehappyto
beabovetheaverageresultforthearea.
Reactionstoproposedmeasures
Differentmeasureswerediscussedwithdifferentparticipants,dependingontheirpropertyand
circumstance.Whileparticipants’reactionstotheproposedmeasuresvaried,therewereconsistent
identifiablepatterns.
Someparticipantsweresurprisedathowenergyinefficienttheirboilerwasdespiteonlybeingafew
yearsold.Mostparticipantsindicated,however,thattheywouldnotinstallanewboileruntiltheir
currentonebrokedown–mainlybecauseofthehighcostsinvolvedandaperceivedneedtogetthe
fulluseoutoftheircurrentone:
‘Iwouldn’treplaceitnowunlessitbrokedownbecausethatwouldbeahugewasteof
whateverelse,wouldn’tit?Youcan’tjustsuddenlyreplacesomething–you’renot
goingtobesavingmoneyinthelongrun,areyou,becauseyouhaven’tgottheuse
outofthething,inmyview.’(Female,London,withchildren)
Noneoftheparticipantswerefamiliarwiththechimneyballoon–adevicethatisinflatedupa
chimneytoreduceheatlossandreducedraughts.However,itslowcost,thenotableeffectithadon
reducingemissions,producingsignificantcostsavings,anditseaseofinstallationmadethisapopular
recommendationamongparticipants.
Participantstendedtoholdnegativeattitudestowardsenergy-efficientlightbulbs,perceivingthemas
uglyandunabletoproduceagoodqualityoflight.Somehadinstalledsomepreviously,andothers
hadbeensentsomebyenergycompaniesbuthadnotinstalledany.Thedomesticenergyassessors
hadsomesuccesswithencouragingsomeparticipantstostartinstallingthem,bysuggestingthatthey
justtryoneinthefirstinstance,andbyhighlightingtheamountofmoneythatcouldbesavedby
switchingtotheenergy-efficientoption:
‘Myelectricitysupplieractuallysentmealoadofenergy-savinglightbulbs,whichwas
quitenice–notverypractical,though,becauseIdon’tusethem.’(Female,London,
withoutchildren)
‘Ifindthoselightbulbsreallyhorribleandugly,andIjustthinkwhenyouputalight
onIwanttheretobelight:Idon’twanttowait,becauseittakesfiveor10minutesfor
themtogolikethat,soreally…[but]it’sbeingsilly,really,becauseifIcansavemyself
£34…’(Female,London,withchildren)
‘Theywanttosteeryoutowardsenergy-savinglamps,whichisthewaytogo,but
they’resouglyandthelightisnotasgood.Hewassaying“Someofthem[are]
gettingbetter–whynotgetone?Justgetonwithit,thenyou’reimprovingityourself
slightly,andyougetusedtoit,andeventuallymoveforwardlikethat,andit’s
somethingyoucantryasatrial”…Ithoughtthatwasagoodpoint,ratherthanjust
changethewholelot.’(Male,London,withchildren)
Noneoftheparticipantssawrenewableenergymeasuresasarealisticoptionduetotheirhigh
installationcostsandverylongpaybacktimes.
Similarly,participantsdidnotseeinstallingsolidwallinsulationasaviableoptionbecauseofthehigh
costofdoingthis,aswellasaestheticconsiderationsandthereductioninlivingspaceitwouldproduce:
‘Itmightsaveyousomeenergy–Idon’tquiteknowwhatitwoulddoforthe
aestheticsofthebuilding.’(Male,London,withoutchildren)
Someoftheparticipantshadinstalledmeasuressuchasloftinsulationandcavitywallinsulation.
Someparticipantsalsoreferredtotheenvironmentalbenefitsofsuchmeasures,buttheprimary
reasonsweretoincreasethewarmthandcomfortofthebuilding,andtoreducebills:
‘That’sbecauseIliketohaveawarmhouse,notbecauseofmassivecarbonoutput.’
(Female,London,withoutkids)
Someparticipantssuggestedthattheprocessofmakingtheirhomemoreenergyefficientwasa
gradualone.Othersmentionedthatbecausethechangesthatneededtobemadetodothiswerenot
alwaysvisible,theytendedtobelowontheirlistofprioritiesforimprovingtheirhome:
‘Aslightbulbshaveexpired–candescentones–Ihaveputinenergy-savingones.The
boilerwaschangedaboutayearago,butthatwasonlybecausetheoldboilerhad
packedup.Ichangeditforamoreefficientonebecauseitwasmuchnewer–more
modern.That’stheprocess,basically:ifsomethingneedsdoingthenI’llgetitdoneusing
moreenergy-efficientthings,soagradualprocess.’(Male,London,withoutchildren)
4.Conclusionsandrecommendations
OurresearchidentifieskeyaspectsofNowPeople’sattitudesthatshouldbetakenintoaccountwhen
designingclimate-changecommunications.Italsohighlightsbarrierstotheuptakeofcertainlower-
carbonbehavioursthatareinsurmountablebycommunicationsalone,suchastheperceivedhighcosts
involvedinadoptingthem.TosuccessfullyengageNowPeopleinchangingtheirbehaviour,arangeof
policyinterventionsisrequired,toworkalongsideeffectivecommunications.
Guidanceforclimate-changecommunications
Itisclearfromourresearchthatnewapproachestoclimate-changecommunicationsarerequiredif
NowPeoplearetobesuccessfullyencouragedtoadoptlower-carbonbehaviours.Thestartingpoint
forsucheffortsshouldbearecognitionthatalackofawarenessoftheissuesisnottheproblem.
Ingeneral,wefoundthatNowPeople’sperceptionsaredominatedbyissuesthatareimmediateand
tangibleattheindividuallevel(bothfunctionallyandemotionally).Climatechangeisadistant,large-
scale,long-termissue,andhencedoesnotfeatureasamajorconcerntothisgroup.Thatisnottosay
thatNowPeopledonotholdsomepositiveperceptionsoflower-carbonbehaviour:theydoseethe
benefits,forexample,thatcomefromhavingahealthyenvironmentfortheirchildren,andoffeeling
goodabout‘doingyourbit’.However,theseareonlysecondaryconsiderations.
OneofthebiggestchallengesininstigatingbehaviourchangewithinthisgroupisthatNowPeople
havefrequentlybeencommunicatedtoaboutenvironmentalissuesintermsthatdonotrelatetotheir
worldview.Infact,ourresearchshowsthattheoppositehasoftenbeenthecase–theyhavebeen
madetofeelguilty,wrongandpossiblystupidfornotchangingtheirbehaviours.Thisisineffective
andcounter-productive.Clearly,otherwaysneedtobefoundwithwhichtocommunicateeffectively
toNowPeopleaboutlower-carbonbehaviours.Ourresearchsuggeststhatthiscanbeachievedina
numberofways,assummarisedintheboxbelow.
Top10tipsforcommunicatingtoNowPeopleaboutlower-carbonbehaviours
1.Don’tfocusonclimatechange
2.Focusonsavingmoneynow
3.Preventthereboundeffect
4.Talkaboutcarbonpollution,notCO2 emissions
5.Satirisehigh-carbonliving
6.Makeitdesirable
7.Rememberthatbeingincontrolmatters
8.Makeitfun
9.Avoidguiltandthe‘environmental’label
10.Usemessengersthat‘keepitreal’
Eachofthesetipsisdescribedinmoredetailbelow.
1.Don’tfocusonclimatechange
Allparticipantsexhibitedahighlevelofawarenessofclimatechangeasanissue.Strikingvisual
imagesofmeltingglaciers,andinparticular,ofpolarbears,havebeenimportantindevelopingthis
awareness.PerceptionsofchangestoUKweatherpatternshavealsobeenimportant.Inaddition,
althoughtheconceptof‘naturalcycles’wasprominentinparticipants’responses,they
overwhelminglyacceptedthefactthathumanactionsarehavinganeffectontheclimate.The
argumentaboutthescientificbasishas,toalargeextent,beenwon.
Thisisimportant.ItunderlinesthatifNowPeoplearenotchangingtheirbehaviour,itisnotbecause
theyarenotawareoftheproblemanditscauses.Theyareaware–butthatawarenessissimplynot
motivatingenough.Infact,theintroductionofclimatechangeasatopicofdiscussioninthe
workshopsprovokedawearinessamongmanyoftheparticipants.
2.Focusonsavingmoneynow
Theresearchclearlysuggeststhatcommunicationsthatemphasisethemoney-savingpotentialof
adoptinglower-carbonbehaviourswillbemuchmoreeffectivewithNowPeoplethanmessagesthat
urgethemtotakeactiononthebasisofpreventingclimatechange–particularlyinthepresent
economicclimate.
WehadnotanticipatedthatNowPeoplewouldbeparticularlyinterestedinsavingmoney.This
unexpectedoutcomeislikelytobeexplainedlargelybytheturbulenteconomicenvironmentthat
formedthebackdroptoourresearch.However,asthesituationaffectingtheglobalandnational
economyevolves,theemphasisgiventoeconomicfactorsbythisgroupisalsolikelytoalter.Ifthe
currenteconomicsituationimproves,theefficacyofcommunicationsfocusedonsavingmoneyis
likelytolessen.Butifthecurrentshifttowardsgreaterausteritylastsinthemedium-to-longterm,
thenitcouldcreateopportunitiesforbehaviourchangethatcouldbecapitalisedon.
Evenso,emphasisingmoney-savingbenefitsaloneisunlikelytobesufficient.Therearelarge
differencesamongNowPeopleintheirattitudestowardssavingmoney,withsomebeingkeentosave
moneywhereverpossible,whileothersviewbeingoverlyinterestedinsavingmoneyas‘boring’.These
differencesmayinpartbeduetothedifferentsocioeconomiccircumstancesofparticipants.
Therefore,theveryideaofsavingmoneyitselfneedstobemadeappealing.Thiscouldbeachievedby
emphasisingthe‘exciting’thingsthatmoneysavedcanbespenton–althoughitisimportanttobe
awareofthepotentialforthereboundeffect–seebelow.
3.Preventthereboundeffect
Communicationsthatfocussolelyuponfinancialreasonsforbehaviourchangecouldbeundermined
bya‘reboundeffect’wherebypeoplewillspendthemoneytheyhavesavedonother,potentiallyhigh
carbon,purchases,suchasflying(Crompton2008).Topreventthiseffect,itmaybenecessaryto
ensurethatcommunicationsrefertotheneedtoreduce‘carbonpollution’orusehumourtosatirise
high-carbonbehaviours,whilemakinglower-carbonchoicesdesirable(theseoptionsareexplainedin
points4–6below).
4.Talkaboutcarbonpollution,notCO2 emissions
Thechoiceoflanguageisimportant.CommunicationsthatpurposefullyplayonNowPeople’s
perceptionofemissionsasbeinga‘dirty’formof‘pollution’arelikelytohavemoreimpactthanthose
thatrefertoinvisibleemissions.Similarly,‘carbon’,widelyperceivedasblackanddirty,mayalsobemore
effectiveterminologytousethaninvisible‘carbondioxide’orCO2.Negativeattitudesto‘waste’were
alsowidelyheld.‘Waste’maythereforealsoofferpowerfulterminologyforcommunicationstouse.
Itcouldconsequentlybearguedthatitisimportanttodevelopacoordinatedcampaign,notjustaset
ofseparatecommunicationsapproachestargetingdiscretebehaviourchanges,emphasisingoratleast
referencingtheneedfordeepreductionsincarbonpollution.
5.Satirisehigh-carbonbehaviours
AnalternativetoexplicitlyencouragingNowPeopletoadoptalower-carbonlifestyleistofocuson
discouragingthemfromcontinuingparticularhigh-carbonbehaviours,butwithoutrecoursetoappeals
todutyorresponsibilityortheuseofguilt.Aneffective,andveryBritish,wayofdoingthiscouldbe
throughhumour,includinggentlemockery,sarcasmandsatire–associatinghigh-carbonbehaviours
withunattractivepersonalities.
Defininghigh-carbonbehavioursinthiswaymakesthemappearundesirable.Arangeofalternative
(lower-carbon)behavioursthenbecomeavailableforNowPeopletochooseforthemselves.Theideal
wouldbeforlower-carbonbehaviourstobecomethepositivedefaultoption,whileleavingNow
Peoplewiththesensethattheystillhaveroomforself-expression–thattheyarenotbeingtoldhow
tobehave.
Comedyprogrammesaimedattheunder-thirties,inparticular,canhaveasignificantandimmediate
impactonperceptionsofspecificbehavioursamongNowPeople,whosemaindriveistolook‘cool’to
others.Theynoteanythingthatdetractsfromtheirdesiredimageimmediately,andactonitquickly,
tomaintainorchangeotherpeople’sperceptionsofthem.
Ourresearchfindingsindicatethathigh-carbonbehavioursshouldbeportrayedusinglanguage,and
drawingonqualities,otherthanthosetypicallyassociatedwithenvironmentalissues.Thisislikelyto
havebeenakeyfactorinthechangeinattitudestowardsSUVs,whichNowPeoplewidelyassociatewith
negativeperceptions,largelyduetotheirbeliefthatthedriversareselfish(andthecarsdangerous).
6.Makeitdesirable
Anotherwaytoovercomethereboundeffectisthroughthecontinuousre-creationofsustainable
productsandbehavioursinto‘objectsofdesire’–theverythingthatturnedthepollutingcarinto
somethingthatNowPeople‘hadtohave’.Inthesedifficulteconomictimes,thesecouldperhapsbe
depictedasthetechnologiesandbehavioursof‘fashionableausterity’.
7.Rememberthatbeingincontrolmatters
Theresearchalsohighlightsanxietyabouthighandfluctuatingenergyprices(includingtheroleof
energycompaniesinrelationtothis)drivenbytheturbulencewithinthefinancialsystemandthe
poorlyperformingeconomy.Whencombinedwiththeinsecurityandadesirefor‘control’commonly
feltbyNowPeople,thisoffersthepotentialforeffectivecommunicationsonlower-carbon
behaviours.
TheissueofcontrolappearstobecentraltomanyoftheanxietiesofNowPeopleintimesof
economicuncertainty.NowPeoplewillrespondmorequicklythanothergroupstocommunications
thatprovidekeystogainingcontrolinsituationsperceivedas‘outofcontrol’–suchasrisingenergy
pricesorstealthtaxation(privatecommunicationwithCulturalDynamicsStrategyandMarketingLtd).
Consequently,someNowPeoplemayrespondwelltocommunicationsemphasisinghowenergy-
efficiencymeasurescanoffer‘control’overenergycostsandindependencefromenergycompanies.
Thisinsightisparticularlyrelevantforthoseconsumerchoicesinwhichthecostofenergyisclearly
evidenttoNowPeople.Thisincludeshouseholdgasandelectricityuse,whereenergycostsaremade
tangibleintheformofbills,andinrelationtocars,wherelevelsofpetrolconsumptionarehighly
visible.
Arelatedpointisthatthecombinedforcesoftheeconomicsituationandthecostofenergyarelikely
tohaveshakenNowPeople’ssenseofself-efficacyandtheirconfidencethatwhattheydocan
achievedesiredoutcomes.Successissoimportanttomembersofthisgroupthatiftheydon’tbelieve
thattheycanmakeadifference,theywon’teventry.Hence,communicationsarealsoneededthat
reinforcetheirsenseofagencyandbeliefthattheycanmakeadifference.
8.Makeitfun
Thedeliberativeworkshopswerecharacterisedbyanatmosphereofhumourandfun.Thisnoticeably
changedwhenthetopicofclimatechangewasintroduced.SomeNowPeopleseeclimatechangeas
being‘boring’and‘depressing’,andprefernottohearaboutit.Communicationsthatarefunand
humorousarefarmorelikelytocaptureandsustaintheattentionofNowPeoplethanthosethatare
overlyserious.
9.Avoidguiltandthe‘environmental’label
Itisimportantthatcommunicationsdonotpromotefeelingsofguiltamongthosewhoarenot
engaginginlower-carbonbehaviour.Itmayappearobviousthatcommunicatorsshouldavoidsaying
‘Youshouldbeashamedtotakeaplanetogoonholidayortodriveacar’.However,thissortof
statementissometimesheardfromthelipsofsomeclimate-changecampaigners–anditisunhelpful,
asitdrivesNowPeopletodisengagefromthemessagecompletely.
ItisalsosignificantthatsomeNowPeoplefeeltheyarealready‘doingtheirbit’fortheenvironment,
byrecycling.ThisfindingissupportedbyrecentIpsosMORIresearchthatfoundthat40percentof
peoplebelievethatrecyclingdomesticwasteisthemostimportantthingtheycandotoprevent
climatechange.Theauthorsoftheresearchconcludedthat‘individualsuserecyclingasameansof
dischargingtheirresponsibilitytoundertakewiderchangesinlifestyle’(DowningandBallantyne
2007).
Whilethismaybethecase,communicationsthatemphasiseamessagesuchas‘Youarenotdoing
enough’or‘Youarenottakingresponsibility’willnotbeeffective.Rather,communicationsshould
acknowledgetheactionsthatNowPeoplearealreadyundertakingandbuilduponthese.Theyneed
tobetoldhowwelltheyaredoing–nothowbadlytheyaredoing.NowPeopleneedtobe
acknowledgedandpraised(privatecommunicationwithCulturalDynamicsStrategyandMarketing
Ltd).
Messagesthatpromotefeelingsofguilt,orthatimplyamoralorethicalsuperiorityonbehalfofthe
carrierofthemessage,contributetothenegativeperceptionsofenvironmentalistsheldbysomeNow
People.
NowPeopletendtodescribepeoplewhoengageinenvironmentally-friendlybehaviourasbeing
differenttothem.Furthermore,NowPeopleprojectthatenvironmentally-inclinedpeopleadopt
environmentalbehaviourbecausetheywanttostandoutfromothersandconveytheir‘righteousness’
–inotherwords,becauseofthewaythismakesthemappeartootherpeople,ratherthanforother
lessself-interestedmotives,suchasreducingtheirimpactontheenvironment.
Thisisanimportantreasonwhycommunicationsshoulddetachlower-carbonbehavioursfromthe
notionofbeingan‘environmentally-friendlyperson’.Self-determination–particularlyoverthings
suchasimage–isveryimportantforNowPeople.Ifbecoming‘environmentally-friendly’impliesthe
adoptionofonelifestyleattheexpenseofothers,itlimits,ratherthanopensup,optionsforself-
determination.
Communicationsmustthereforepromotelower-carbonbehavioursasbeing‘normal’–atleast,for
NowPeople–whilestillofferingindividualssomethingwhichtheycanexcelat,orcanhavethatis
‘-er’or‘-est’(inotherwords,betterorbest).
10.Usingmessengersthat‘keepitreal’
Thechannelsviawhichcommunicationsaredelivered(seeboxbelow),andthemessengersusedfor
sendingthem,playakeyroleinhowthosecommunicationsarereceived.Ourresearchfoundthatfor
promotingthedomesticproducts,participantschosetousecelebritieswhoNowPeopletrustand
associatewithaspeers,ratherthanhigher-rankingcelebritiessuchaspoporfilmstars.Hence,
participantswantedtoseeadvertisementswithcelebritiessuchasTessDalyandVernonKay,rather
thaninternationalsuperstarssuchasMadonna.
Thisagainsupportstheimperativetonormaliselower-carbonbehavioursforNowPeople.Energy
companieswereoftenreferredtoaslikelypromotersoflower-carbonbehaviours.However,many
notedtheconfusioninnotionofenergycompanies,whoarealreadymistrusted,encouragingpeople
toreducetheirenergyuse.Thisisanissuethattheenergycompanieswillneedtoconfrontbefore
attemptingtotargetcommunicationsatNowPeople–particularlyassuppliers’roleasdeliveryagents
forhouseholdCO2 savingswillcontinue.
ReachingNowPeople:Top10thingstheymostliketoreadabout
•Lifestylesoftherichandfamous •Property
•Beautyandpersonalappearance •Celebritywritersandcolumnists
•Fashionandclothes •Privatelivesofroyalty
•Futuretrends •Homesandinteriors
•Scandalsinhighplaces •Healthandfitness
Source:CulturalDynamicsStrategyandMarketingLtd(unpublished)
Itisalsonotablethatwhenaskedwhoshouldselllower-carbonproducts,noneoftheparticipants
referredtoenvironmentalorganisations(althoughsomedidmentionsomefamousnaturalists,suchas
DavidAttenborough).Iftheproductsweresoldbyenvironmentalgroups,therewouldbeimmediate
dissonanceinthemindsofNowPeople.The‘brandimage’ofthesegroupsisnot,norshouldbe,for
NowPeople,whoarepurveyorsofobjectsofdesire–thisisasteptoofarforthem.Armani– oreven
Primark– ‘Green’yes,WWF,Greenpeace,orFriendsoftheEarth‘fashionista’no!
Intimesofeconomicdistressanddislocation,NowPeoplemaytendtogravitatetowards‘easy
versions’oftheaspirationalmodelsusedtodefinevisiblesuccessandachievement.So,where
previouslytherewasnever‘toomuchbling’,intoday’seconomiccontextthefocusmaybeongetting
the‘right’amountofit.Aspirationsdonotcease,theymaysimplybedowngraded.
AsNowPeopleappeartolosesomeoftheirselfconfidencetoachievesuccessintheirownway,they
maybelookingforrolemodelsthathavedoneitin‘theirownway’,regardlessofwhetheritisglitzy
ornot.TheNowPeopleversionofauthenticitymaycomeintoplay.Theymaynotwanttothinkabout
themotivesanddynamicsofthemessenger(forexamplethattheymightbepaidtosaywhatthey
say)butprefertobelievethatthemessageandmessengerareoneandthesame(CulturalDynamics
StrategyandMarketingLtd).HencetheappealofTessDalyandVernonKay,andLouiseandJamie
Redknapp:ordinarypeoplethatjusthappentobefamous.
TherecentoutpouringofsupportforcontestantSusanBoyleonthetelevisionshow‘Britain’sgot
talent’reflectsthischangedperception–ordinary,authenticandyetsomethingspecial.Campaigns
thatuseandfacilitatethiswillgainNowPeople’sattentionandtheircommitmenttosustainably
changingtheirbehaviours.WarmWords–anipprreportonhowcommunicationsonclimatechange
couldbeimproved(EreautandSegnit2006)–coinedtheterm‘ordinaryheroes’.That’swhatNow
Peopleneedtofeeltheyare.
Proposalsforpromotingspecificlower-carbonbehaviours
Thisresearchprojectaimedtoidentifyopportunitiesforincreasingtheuptakeofsixspecificlower-
carbonconsumerchoices:energymonitors,heatingcontrols,solarpanels,energy-efficientvehicles,
UKholidaysandholidaytravelbytrain.
Italsodrewobservationsfromhomeenergyassessmentscarriedoutbylifestylemanagement
companyTeninthehomesof10individuals,followedbyin-depthinterviews.
WefoundthatNowPeopleattachwidelydifferingvalueandlevelsofimportancetoeachofthese
productsandservices,significantlyinfluencingthedecisionsthattheymake.
Giventhesedifferences,andthewide-rangingbarrierstocommunicationsaimedatencouraging
reductionsincarbonandenergyuseingeneral,communicationsneedtotargetbehaviours
individually.Butthefindingsdiscussedaboveshouldformthefoundationforanyproduct-specific
communications.
Wehavealsoidentifiedbarrierstotheuptakeofthesixlower-carbonchoicesthatarenot
surmountablewithcommunicationsalone.Thesebarriersrequiredifferentpolicyinterventions.Inthe
remainderofthissectionwebrieflydiscussthesortsofcommunicationandpolicyapproachthatare
likelytobeeffectiveinpromotingeachofthesixproductsandservicesdescribedhere.
However,itisfirstworthnotingthatineachcasethereisaneedtoensurethatcommunications
supportpolicy,andforpolicytosupportcommunications–notleast,toensureconsistencybetween
rhetoricandpractice(seebox,nextpage).Thereisalsoaclearneedfortheappropriatepolicy
frameworkstobeinplacetoensureinnovationinthedesignoflower-carbonproductsandservicesto
attractNowPeople,giventhatoftenaestheticsactasabarriertoadoption.
Intheenergysector,thismightcomeaboutbyadoptingapolicyframeworkthatincentivisesenergy
servicecompaniesthatwouldbeundergreaterpressuretomaketechnologiesandbehavioursthat
reduceenergyusemoreappealingbecausethatwouldbehowtheywouldmaketheirmoney.Equally
compellingincentivesareneededforcarandtraincompanies.
Gettingpolicyright–theneedforconsistencyandtransparency
NowPeopledisplayhighlevelsofcynicismandmistrustinrelationtogovernment,andthishas
importantimplicationsforpolicymaking.ThiscynicismisdriveninpartbyNowPeople’sperception
thattheyhavebeenurgedtotakeactiononclimatechangeinthefaceofseeminglycontradictory
policiesfromtheGovernmentitself,suchasthedecisiontobuildathirdrunwayatHeathrow
Airport.Theeffectofthiscynicismmaybetolimitthespaceavailabletogovernmenttotakeaction.
Itisthereforecriticalthatgovernmentseekstoportrayaconsistentmessageaboutclimatechange
thatisevidencedbythepoliciesitadopts.
Someoftheresearchparticipantsindicatedthattheywouldbemoreconvincedthatclimatechange
isaseriousissueforgovernmentifmorepoliciesaimedattacklingithadbeenintroduced.Thereis
thereforeakeyrolethatgovernmentneedstoplayindrivingchangesinNowPeople’sattitudes.
Itisalsoworthnotingthatparticipantsdisplayedahighdegreeofcynicismtowardssustainable
products–primarilybecausetheywerealwaysseenasthemostexpensiveoptionandameansof
increasingprofits.Ensuringthattherightfiscalincentiveframeworkisinplace,andthatitis
transparentandwellcommunicated,isvitalforincreasingconsumerconfidenceinlower-carbon
productsandbehaviourchange.
Onestepthatgovernmentcouldtakeistousethetaxationsystemmuchmoreeffectivelyasa
meansofencouraginglower-carbonbehaviour.TheTreasuryshouldenforceits2002Statementon
EnvironmentalTaxation,whichfundamentallyendorsestheconceptofmakingthemoresustainable
optionfinanciallyattractive–encouragingthe‘goods’andtaxingthe‘bads’.
However,duetothemistrustthatexists,particularlyaroundtheissueof‘stealthtaxes’,changes
shouldbeintroducedtransparently,withstrongconsiderationgiventohypothecatingtherevenues
raisedtomakelower-carbonoptionscheaper.Anyhintthatapolicyisastealthtaxwillbe
instinctivelyrejectedbythehighlyindividualistNowPeopleandwillprovideaplatformforanti-
environmentalprotest.
Iftaxationistransparentandtherevenuesusedtohelpaddresstheproblem,thengreaterpublic
supportislikely.Hypothecationestablishestrust–somethingthatgovernmentshaveoftenlacked
inrecentyears.Itpresentsanopportunityforanypoliticalpartytogainarealedge–bybeingseen
tobeclearonenvironmentalissuesandmoney.
Energymonitors
TheGovernmentisnowcommittedtoanationwiderolloutofsmartmeters,whichremotelyrecord
customers’electricityuseandletthemknowhowmuchtheyareusing,asenergymonitorsdo,by
2020.Ideally,thisshouldhappensooner.Wheneveritdoes,governmentshouldsetminimum
standardstoensurethattheproductincludesapermanent,visiblein-homedisplaydesignedto
engageitsusers,andasupportpackagethatprepareshouseholdersforthearrivaloftheirnewmeter
andenablesthemtotakeactionasaresultoftheinformationitprovides.
Itwillclearlybeimportanttoaccompanytherolloutofsmartmeterswithappropriatecommunications
–notleasttoassuageanyfearspeoplemayhaveemergingfromalackoftrust.Oneofthebestways
todothisisthroughtheuseofemotionaltriggerstounderstandwhatitwillfeelslikeforaNow
Person,asafigureoftrusttotheirchildrenandtheircontemporaries,toidentify,acquireanddisplay
thesmartmeter.Thisshouldbecombinedwithafocusonthebenefitsinvolved.
Communicationsshouldemphasisethatsmartmeterscaneasilysavetheusermoneyandgivethem
morecontrol.Contextualisingthiswithexperiencesoffluctuatingenergybillsisalsolikelytobe
effective,togetherwiththeappealofnotwastingenergy.Highlightingtheenjoymentthatcouldbe
gainedbyspendingthemoneysavedonsomethingpleasurablewillalsohelp.Theenvironmental
benefitscouldbeincluded,butnotasthemainfocus.
Anotheraspectoftheproductthatcouldbeemphasisedisitsroleasamoderngadget.Infocus
groupsamongNowPeoplethatlookbeyondimmediateenvironmentalissues,itisregularlyfound
thatgadgets,ratherthanideologies,arebigdriversofbehaviouralchange.Thisisastrueforfemale
NowPeopleasitisfortheirmalecounterparts,whoaretypicallythoughtofasshowingmoreinterest
ingadgetsas‘boytoys’(CulturalDynamicsStrategyandMarketingLtd).
Heatingcontrols
Themainchallengetoeffortstoincreasetheuptakeofheatingcontrolproductsistocommunicate
whattheydo,andwhatbenefitstheycanoffer.Aswithenergymonitors,itisimportanttoemphasise
thebenefitsofheatingcontrolsintermsoftheirabilitytosavemoney,increaseconsumer‘control’
andreducewaste,overtheirenvironmentalbenefits,aswellashighlightingthegreatercomfortand
theemotionalbenefitsgainedfromusingthem.
Giventhelevelofcontroloverdomesticheatingthatheatingcontrolsoffer,weweresurprisedthat
theNowPeoplewhoparticipatedinourresearchdidnotrespondbettertothisproduct.Inparticular,
participantshaddoubtsabouttheleveloffunctionalityoffered.Hencecommunicationsaboutheating
controlsneedtoconveyclearlythemarkeddifferencesincontrolandfinancialgainthattheyofferin
comparisontoexistingcontrols.Buttheyshouldalsoportraythemasthenewest,best,latest,most
modernpieceofkit(withpresetprogrammesfordifferentroomsandremotecontrol),‘asseeninHeat
magazine’(forexample).
Aswithotherenergy-efficiencyandrenewable-energytechnologies,greatercooperationwiththe
supplychainfortheseproductsisalsonecessaryinordertoensureclear,consistentinformationand
greaterdeployment.Manyenergy-efficiencymeasuresarenotgenerallypurchaseddirectlyby
consumersbutaremadeontherecommendationofinstallers,suchasplumbersandheating
engineers.Governmentandmanufacturersofmeasuressuchasimprovedheatingcontrolsshouldbe
engagingwithinstallers,toensurethattheyareawareofnewerproductsandtheirmoney-and
energy-savingbenefits.
Solarpanels
ThereissignificantpotentialforincreasingtheuptakeofsolarpanelsbyNowPeople,butonlyifthe
resistancetothehighupfrontcostcanbeovercome.Toachievethis,policyinterventionsareessential.
TheGovernment’scommitmenttointroducefeed-intariffsinApril2010–offering‘cashpaybacks’for
thereturnofanyunusedelectricitygeneratedfrommicro-renewablesbacktotheNationalGrid–will
help,aslongastariffsaresetatgenerouslevelsandiftheirintroductionisaccompaniedby
communicationssettingouttheirbenefits(seebelow).
However,asignificantincreaseinuptakeislikelytorequirefurtherfinancialsupportbecauseeven
withexistinggrantsandlikelyfeed-intariffincome,thepaybackperiodofsolarpanelscouldbeas
muchas15years(accordingtoipprcalculations).Hence,itmaybenecessarytoputinplacean
expandedprogrammeofdirectsubsidies,discountsonstampdutyorlow-orzero-interestloans
(underwrittenbygovernment).Alternatively,on-billrepaymentcouldbeofferedifsolarpanelsare
installedbyenergycompanies.
Governmentalsohasaroletoplayinprovidingincentivesformanufacturerstodesignin-homemeters
forsolarpanels,withengagingvisualdisplaysandattractivegraphics–perhapsevenwithinternet
connectivity,sothatownerscanseeinrealtimehowmuchelectricitytheyaremaking,usingand
selling.
Astheseorcomparablepoliciesareintroduced,communicationsshould–asalways–emphasisethe
benefits.Withsolarpanels,communicationsshouldplaceastrongemphasisonthe‘control’and‘self-
sufficiency’thatsolarpanelscanoffer,withinthecontextofanunsettledworldwithfluctuating
energyprices.
Consumersalsoneedbasicinformationaboutsolarpanels–notleast,todispelsomeofthedoubts
expressedthattheywouldworkintheUK.Effortsshouldalsobemadetocommunicatethephysical
appealofsolarpanels,astherewassomescepticismaboutthemamongourresearchparticipants.
Positioningthepanelsasattractive‘moderngadgets’wouldhelp.
NowPeoplealsoneedtofeelthatsolarpanelsarenormalandauthenticfor‘peoplelikethem’,while
atthesametime–critically–helpingmakethemlookspecial.Thisshouldbeacrucialdimensionof
anygovernmentcampaigntodevelopsustainablebehaviouramongNowPeople.Thehousetheylive
inisasymboloftheiridentity.Ifasolarpaneloranyotherenergy-savingtechnologyhelpsmaketheir
home‘special’thentheywon’tnecessarilyseetheproductas‘environmental’orsomethingpushedon
themby‘do-gooders’,andarethereforelesslikelytoreactagainstit.
Theincreasingvisibilityofsolarpanels(andofothermicrogenerationandcommunity-scalelower-
carbonheatandelectricitytechnologies)willhelpnotonlytoincreaseawareness,butalsotomake
themmoreacceptableanddesirable.
Therewasconsiderablesupportamongparticipantsforensuringthatallnewhomeswereusedto
mainstreamtechnologiesthatwerenotyetcosteffective,suchassolarpanels.So,theincreased
tighteningofbuildingregulationsproposedbytheGovernmentanditstargettoensureallnewhomes
arezero-carbonby2016shouldbemaintained,andnewhousesusedtomainstreamnewer
technologiesatthehouseholdandcommunityscale.
Thisshouldalsobesupportedthroughdemonstrationhomes,coordinatedandfundedby
government.Eachlocalityshouldhavea‘normal’homeretro-fittedwithsolarorothermicro-scale
renewables,aswellasarangeofenergy-efficiencymeasures,thatisperiodicallyopentothepublicso
theycanexperienceanexistinglower-carbonhomeforthemselves.Itisimportantthatthehomeis
realistic,inordertomakethemeasuresseemrelevantandachievable,andcaremustbetakenforit
nottolooktoo‘worthy’or‘austere’,whichwouldbeanimmediateturn-offtoNowPeople.The
designideasthatwentintothe‘100IdeasHouse’runbycouncilsintheWestofEngland,specifically
targetedatNowPeople,wouldformagoodstartingpoint(seewww.100ideashouse.com).
Increasesinvehicleexciseduty(VED)forcarswithhighercarbonemissions(combinedwithhigher
petrolprices)hashadsomeimpactonNowPeople,whoarenowincreasinglychoosingnottobuy
high-pollutingcarssuchasSUVs.Similarpoliciesrelatingtocompanycarshavealsobeenimportant.
Thisapproachtocartaxshouldbeextended,withincreasedVEDbandpricedifferential–particularly
forA-andB-ratedvehicles–asshouldtheGovernment’scommitmenttoprovidesubsidiesforthe
purchaseofthemostfuel-efficientcars.
However,whileprovidingtherightpricestimuliisimportant,relyingsolelyonthismeasurewillbe
insufficient,asitdoesnottakeintoaccounttheotherattributesofcars.NowPeoplewilljudgean
environmentally-friendlycaronmanyattributes–notablybrand,aestheticandimage(especially
colour),aswellasfuelefficiency,costandotherpracticalissues–beforeconsideringitsenvironmental
performance.
Clearly,imageisparticularlyimportantforNowPeople.Ofthetwolower-emissionmodelsdiscussed,
wefoundthatparticipantswerefarmorereceptivetotheHondaCivicHybrid,withitsmore
conventionalandstylishlook,andmanufacturedbya‘reliable’brand,thantheSmartCar,withits
strikinglydifferentaesthetic,whichtheysaidlooked‘environmental’and‘smug’.
ThishighlightsoneofthemaininsightsintoNowPeople–theirconstantanxietyaboutwantingtobe
leadingedgebutnot‘too’leadingedge:beingcool,butnosocooltheyarelaughedat.As‘modern’
fuel-efficientcartechnologybecomesthenew‘normal’and‘special’,greateruptakecanbeexpected.
Consequently,asuccessfulapproachmustinvolveregulation,tomakesurethatwell-recognisedand
establishedbrandsofcarincorporatelower-carbontechnologyintheirmodels,andtoprovide
incentivesforthemtodesignthesecarstobeaestheticallyattractive.Communicationscanhelpby
highlightingattractionssuchastheir‘modern’technologies,andtheirabilitytocontrolfuelbills.
UKholidays
OurresearchshowsthatintheshorttermtherearefewprospectsforencouragingNowPeopleto
regularlytaketheirmainholidayintheUK.Thefundamentalbarriertothisisaperceptionofpoorand
unpredictableweatherintheUK–factorsthatareinsurmountablebyanycommunicationscampaign
orpolicy(although,paradoxically,overtimethisperceptionmaychangewitharunofwarm,dry
summersthatmayoccurbecauseofglobalwarming).Thecomparativehighcostoftakingholidaysin
theUKwasalsoseenasimportant.
However,thereissignificantpotentialforincreasingthenumberofshortbreaksthatNowPeople
choosetotakeintheUK,ratherthanabroad–particularlyinthecurrenteconomicclimate(Bachelor
2009).NowPeoplewereverypositiveaboutsomeareasoftheUK,suchasCornwall,andtherange
ofholidaytypesavailable.TomaximisetheirattractivenesstoNowPeople,UKdestinationswillneed
tooffergoodlevelsofcomfort,atreasonableprices,andtopositionthemselvesas‘modern’and‘fun’
holidayoptions.
GovernmentshouldconsiderapackageofincentivesforUKtourism,includingforimprovingthe
facilitiesoffered.Thiscouldalsohavebenefitsforeconomicdevelopment–particularlyinregional
areas.OneofthemainobstaclestoUKbreaksistheperceivedpoorstandardsofaccommodationand
service.NowPeopleaged30–45,withfamilies,formalargepartoftheyoungfamilygroup–and
theyareoftenill-servedbytraditionalUKaccommodationandfacilities.Ensuringgoodexperiences
fortheirfamilyislikelytobemoreimportantthanclimatechangetoNowPeople.
Thiswillbeneededtobringanewgenerationoffamiliesbacktoplacesthathavebecome‘old
fashioned’intheirminds.ThewayforwardforUKhostsandtheirtrade-marketingmessageistobuild
onNowPeople’sneedforthe‘authenticandspecial,butordinary’(forexample,bystating‘the
Redknappswerehereacoupleofweeksago’).Asustainedcampaignisneeded(ofwhichthereis
alreadysomeevidence),involvingkeytourismorganisationssuchasVisitBritain,topromoteUK
breaksandholidaysasapositivewayofgettingawayfromworkandday-to-daylife.
Atthesametime,policyshouldfocusonincreasingthecostofairtravel–notleast,togenerate
revenuestoimprovethealternatives–increasingtheprovisionofcompetitivelypricedandexciting
alternativemodesoftransport(see‘Holidaytravelbytrain’,below).However,giventherelativelylow
priceelasticityofdemandforairtravel,additionalfiscalmeasureswillhavealimitedimpacton
behaviourchangeunlesstheyaresetatasignificantlyhigherlevel–andthismaybetoounpopularto
do(Gillenetal 2003).
Hence,alongsidethis,communicationscouldbeusedtocreateastigmaaroundtakingtoomany
flights.Itisimportantthatthisisnotdoneinamaliciousoroverlynegativeway,asNowPeopleare
currentlyveryfarfromholdingnegativesentimentsaboutflying.However,humourcouldbeusedto
gentlymockpeoplewhotaketoomanyflights.Thismessageshouldbeaccompaniedbypositiveand
engagingcommunicationsdisplayingthediversityofoptionsforholidaysintheUK.
The‘fun’and‘feel-goodfactor’ofbeingin‘theright’couldholdtheemotionalkeytoNowPeople
embracingthismessage.Itisn’taboutnotdoingsomething–itisthebuzzofdoing‘somethingelse’,
andbeingseentobedoingit.
ThetwomainbarrierstoNowPeople’sincreaseduseoftrainsaretheperceivedhighcostsinvolved
andtheirlackofflexibilitycomparedtocarsandplanes.Ifgovernmentwantspeopletousetrains
more,itneedstomakeaconcertedefforttofindwaysofreducingthecostoftraintravelsothatit
becomesattractivelypricedwhencomparedwithcartravelandflying.Oneoptionistooffermore
discounts–suchasallowingchildrentotravelforfreeduringschoolholidays.
Equally,trainoperatorsshoulddomoretocommunicatethecheaperratesthatarealreadyavailableif
ticketsarebookedinadvance–encouragingpassengerstomakemoreadvancedbookingsjustas
theywouldforajourneybyplane.
Traintravelalsoneedstobemademoreaccessible,notonlybymakingitmorecostcompetitivewith
cartravelbutalsobyensuringthatservicesareavailablewhenpeoplewanttotravelonbreaks,which
isgenerallyattheweekend.Thisrequiresacompleterethinkofmaintenanceandupgradingworkso
thatitiscoordinatedtoavoidholidayperiods–essentialtomakingthisoptionattractivetoNow
People.
Communications,meanwhile,couldhelptoshiftperceptionsbycreatingabuzzabouttraintravel
whileplayingupthebotherandstressofflying.Eurostarhasbeenparticularlysuccessfulin
positioningtraintravelasanexcitingalternativetoflying.Thismodelcanbeextendedsothattrain
travelbecomesevenmore‘special’(whilealsocomfortableandrelaxing).Thenextstageinthis
processmaybetocreateabuzzaroundmainlinestations(suchasLondon’sKing’sCrossSt.Pancras).
Thiswillneedastrategytoupgradeexistingfacilities–withgovernmentincentivesandsupportif
necessary.Recreatingthebuzzoftheairportcouldplayakeyroleinhelpingwinthecompetitionfor
NowPeople’stravelarrangements.
Lessonsfromthehomeenergyassessments
Ourobservationof10NowPeoplereceivingahomeenergyassessmentbyTen’sgreenconcierge
servicehighlightedthevalueofprovidinghomeownerswithprofessional,face-to-faceinformationand
supportaboutthemostappropriatelower-carbonoptionsfortheirhomes.
Ourobservationsshowedclearvalueinprovidinginformationrelatingtoenergyusethatis
personalised,tailoredtoindividualhomes,andfromanindependentsource–unconnectedtothe
energycompaniesoreffortstosellanything.Providingvisualrepresentationsofthisinformation–
withgraphsandthermalimageryoftheirhomes–isalsoaparticularlyeffectivewayofengagingNow
People.Itisalsoclearlyimportantthattheenergyassessorshavetheskillstomakepeoplefeel
comfortable:theirmannercounts.
Ontheflipside,fromourobservations,NowPeoplemaybereluctanttopayforhomeenergy
assessmentsthemselves,andwouldnotallbecomfortablewithhavingaconciergecompanyarrange
quotesforthemforhomeimprovementwork.NowPeople’scommitmenttoundertakethemeasures
recommendedbyhome-energyassessorswillalsocomeupagainstallthebarriersdiscussedelsewhere
inthisreport–fromoff-puttinghighupfrontcosts(boilersandmicro-renewableenergy)to
unsatisfactoryaesthetics(energy-efficientlightbulbsandsolidwallinsulation).Allofthesewillneed
tobeaddressedforsignificantuptaketobeachieved.
Finalthoughts
Ourresearchsuggeststhatitispossibletoengagefarmorepeoplethantheenvironmentalpioneersin
adoptinglower-carbonbehavioursifthisisdoneproperly.Thetimeisripetotakethismessage
beyondthe‘usualsuspects’,andNowPeople,askeydriversoffashionsandtrends,arethebest
grouptofocusontoencouragelower-carbonlifestylestobewidelyadoptedbyconsumers
nationwide.
Ourresearchsuggeststhatsuccesswilllieinourcollectiveabilitytopersuadeconsumersthatin
adoptinglower-carbonlifestylestheycansavemoneyandhavefun,theycanhavecontrolinachaotic
world,theycandotherightthingandlookgoodwithoutbeinganenvironmentalist,andtheycanbe
themselves.Ifwecanachievethat,whileputtingthepoliciesinplacetoensurethatlower-carbon
optionsareaffordable,attractiveandvisible,wewillhavegonealongwaytowardsmobilisingthe
powerofconsumersinthebattleagainstclimatechange.
References
BachelorL(2009)‘UKholidays...thenewattractionforhard-upBritons’,GuardianUnlimited,15
January2009.Availableat:www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jan/15/recession-boom-uk-
holidays
CromptonT(2008) WeathercocksandSignposts, Godalming:WWF
CulturalDynamicsStrategyandMarketingLtdwebsite:www.cultdyn.co.uk
DowningPandBallantyneJ(2007) TippingPointorTurningPoint?Socialmarketingandclimate
change,London:IpsosMORI
EreautGandSegnitN(2006)WarmWords:Howarewetellingtheclimatestoryandcanwetellit
better?,London:ippr,availableat
www.ippr.org.uk/publicationsandreports/publication.asp?id=485
GillenDW,MorrisonWGandStewartC(2003)AirTravelDemandElasticities:Concepts,issuesand
measurement.Finalreport.DepartmentofFinance,Canada,availableat:
www.fin.gc.ca/consultresp/Airtravel/airtravStdy_e.html
RetallackSandLawrenceT(2007)PositiveEnergy:Harnessingpeoplepowertopreventclimate
change,London:ippr,availableat
www.ippr.org.uk/publicationsandreports/publication.asp?id=541
Appendix1:TheNowPeople
TheNowPeopleareperhapstheepitomeoftheProspectorgroupintheValuesModesegmentation
model.Theyhavemoreenergyandagreaterneedtouseittogaintheapprovalofothers.Theyhave
amuchgreaterneedtousealltheirsocialskillstobuildandmaintaina‘network’ofsupportersand
greaterneedtoidentify,acquireanddisplaysymbolsofvaluethananyotherValuesMode.Theyneed
thesupportofthe‘thegroup’todefinetheirownidentities.
NowPeoplewillattempttobecomethecentreofattention.Theyaremoreextrovertedthanmost
people.Theyarenaturalnetworkers–wantingtoknoweverythingandlettingeveryoneknowthey
areintheknow.NowPeoplecaneasilymakeanemotionalconnectionwithothers.
Their‘lifeisaparty’hedonisticapproachtolifecanbeconfusingtoothers,whocanacceptthefun
andintensitytheNowPeoplebringtomanyeverydayorworksituations,butwillstepbackfrom
someofthemoreovert‘partyhard’aspectsoftheNowPeopleatplay.Overthelastseveralyearsthe
perceivedabilitytofinanciallysupportthisaspectoftheirliveshascomeunderscrutinyandtheir
risinguncertaintyisreflectedinthedeliberativeworkshops.
NowPeopleknowtheyoftenpushtheboundariesofacceptablethoughtandbehaviour‘justbecause
theycan’,thentheythinkaboutit,andusuallygetonwith‘it’,acceptinganyconsequence,goodor
bad,thatstemsfromthebehaviour.Todaytheystillwantto‘goforit’,buttheyaremoreuncertainas
towhat‘it’is.
Theirhighneedsforenergyisbalancedbytheirdesireforahealthylifestyleandtheywilltrytoeat
andexercisemoreregularlythanmost.Thisorientationisnotabout‘health’perse,itismoreabout
theright‘bodyshape’,andmakingthebestimpressiontheycanonothersthroughbodyshape.
This‘goforit’group‘knows’theywillfinishanyprojecttheyputtheirmindto.Anynumericalgoalor
targetisagreatwaytogeneratethesuccesstheylove.Givethematargetandtheywillattemptto
exceedit.ThisisNowPeopleHeaven.NowPeopleHellisfullofamorphous,changingtargets,no
recognitionforachievements,wafflingandquestioninginsteadofstatementsandresults.Allofthese
thingspreventthemgoingforitandwinning,lookinggoodandbeingrecognised–gainingthe
esteemfromothersthatissoimportanttothem.
Thisisoneoftheaspectsofbehaviourchangecommunicationsthatcanbeleveragedtoprovide
themwithspecific,measurableandachievabletargetsandnotjustmoreinformationorthelatest
researchthatseemsto‘changethetarget’.Givethemcleargoalsandrewardsandtheywillusetheir
naturalenergytoachieveandbetterthetargets.Itisallaboutwinningandbeingseentobegoodat
whattheychoosetodo.
Thisapproachtoliferunsthrougheverythingtheydo–thisisthewaytheyseeandinteractwiththe
worldaroundthem–theirfriends,relationships,families,athome,leisure,work.Tomakeconnections
withthem,others–peopleandorganisations–needtoacknowledgetheirenergyandenthusiasm
andprovidewaysforthemtoachievetheirneedsforesteemfromothers.
Source:CulturalDynamicsStrategyandMarketingLtd

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