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 Challengingideas– Changingpolicy

RegPlattandSimonRetallack September2009

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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:[email protected] 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.

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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

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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,servicesandpoliciesaimedatincreasingtheuptakeoflowercarbonbehaviour–fromenergyutilitiestocarmanufacturers,trainoperatorsandtheUKtourist trade,aswellasgovernmentandenvironmentalcampaigners.

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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.

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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’.

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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).

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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,leavingthemwiththesensethattheystillhaveroomforselfexpression,whichtheyprize.Comedyprogrammescanbeparticularlyinfluentialinthisregard.Now People’smaindriveistolookcooltoothers,andtheytendtonoteanythingthatdetractsfromtheir imageandactuponitquickly,tomaintainorchangetheperceptionsofothers. 6.Makeitdesirable–Anotherwaytoovercomethereboundeffectisthroughthecontinuousrecreationofsustainableproductsandbehavioursinto‘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

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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. Energy-efficientvehicles 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. Holidaytravelbytrain 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.

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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‘nonenvironmentally-inclined’)perceiveclimatechangeandlower-carbonbehaviouringeneral?

•Whatdoesthismeanforcommunicationsandpoliciesaimingtoincreasetheuptakeoflowercarbonbehaviouringeneral?

•Whatfactorsinfluencenon-environmentally-inclinedpeople’sperceptionsofspecificlowercarbonbehaviours?

•Howcanthesefactorsinhibitorencouragetheuptakeofspecificlower-carbonbehaviours? Thetargetaudience Thehistoryofcommercialmarketingshowsthatknowingandsegmentingone’saudiencesisapreconditionofsuccess.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

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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

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adoptedattitudesandbehavioursthatleadthemtobeseenasmoreenvironmentally-friendlythan othergroups,buttheProspectorshavenotadoptedthesebehaviourstonearlythesameextent,and thushaveactedasabrakeonwidespreadchangesinlifestyles. Asthisreportshows,onereasonforthisisthattheemotionaltriggersactivatedbycurrentclimatechangecommunicationsandcampaignsarenotthosemostvaluedbytheProspectors.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 •Energy-efficientvehicles •UKholidays •Holidaytravelbytrain.

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Box1.1.Identifyingconsumerchoicestotest Indeterminingwhichspecificcarbon-relatedconsumerchoicestotestattitudestowardsinthedeliberativeworkshops,we consideredanumberoffactors.Theseincludedimpactintermsofcarbon-savingpotentialfrombehaviourchange,appeal tothetargetgroup,feasibilityofthetargetgroupadoptingthebehaviourandfrequency–howoftenthebehaviourislikely tooccur.Inthetablesbelowweshowhowdifferentchoicesandbehaviourscompareinrelationtothesefourcriteria. Inthehome Behaviour Insulation(cavitywallandloft) Solidwallinsulation Condensingboilers/heatingcontrols Woodpelletboilers Solarwaterheating GroundSourceHeatPump Micro-wind PVpanels Glazing(A-C) Moreefficientappliances CompactFluorescentLightbulbs Switchoff–lights/standby Real-timedisplays/bye-byestandby

Impact* H H H H M H H H M L L L L

Appeal L L M M M L H H M H L L H

Feasibility H L M L M L L L M H H H H

Frequency L L L L L L L L L M M H H

Impact* M H M M M M

Appeal L M-H L L L M

Feasibility H M M H H H

Frequency H L-M H H H H

Impact* H H L

Appeal L M L

Feasibility H M M

Frequency M M M

Onthemove Behaviour Eco-driving Purchasemoreefficientvehicle Modalshift Car-sharing Noshorttrips(<3miles) Cycling

Onholiday Behaviour UKholidays Trainholidays Offsetting

*ImpactbasedonCO2 savingsperbehaviourperyear.H=>350kgCO2/year,M=100kgCO2/year-349kgCO2/year,L =<100kgCO2/year. H=high;M=Medium;L=Low.

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Researchmethodology Note:materials usedduringthe researchare availableon requesttothe authors,asfollows:

ToinvestigatethecommunicationsapproachesandpoliciesthatwouldbeeffectiveforNowPeople, weadoptedaqualitativeapproach.Deliberativeworkshopswereusedtoexploretheprocessesby whichpeoplemakeconsumerchoices.Thisgeneratedevidenceoftheattitudesandbeliefsthat underpinconsumerbehaviour,andthecontradictionsandcomplexitiesinherentinthem.Participant observationsandin-depthinterviewsalsoprovidedevidenceofthesedecision-makingprocessesin thecontextofpeople’severydaylives.

•Workshops

Deliberativeworkshops

discussionguide; •Homeobservations discussionguide; •Carsworkshop stimulusmaterials; •Holidaysworkshop stimulusmaterials. Contact: [email protected] [email protected]

WeconductedsixdeliberativeworkshopsinordertoexplorethewaythatNowPeoplethinkabout lower-carbonpurchases.Deliberativeworkshopsareheldoveralongerperiodoftimethantraditional focusgroups,providinggreateropportunityforparticipantstoexpresstheirviewsfully,andfor discussionanddebatewithinthegroup.Theworkshopsusedprojectivetechniquesandexercisesthat allowedustoexplorehowparticipants’viewschangedwhenpresentedwithinformationandhow viewsevolvedduringgroupdiscussions. Theuseofdeliberativetechniquesenabledustoexplorethesharednormsthatinfluenceparticipants’ consumerdecisions,includingtheprocessesbywhichthesenormsarenegotiatedandinterpreted. Thisresearchstartedfromanawarenessthattraditionalenvironmentalcommunicationsapproaches havenotbeeneffectivewithinthistargetaudience.Wethereforeaimedtoexploreparticipants’ attitudesandopinionstolower-carbonlifestyleoptionswithoutimposingan‘environmental’ frameworkonthem.Assuch,theworkshopsfocusedonthethemeofshoppingratherthanclimate changeandcarbon.Thisenabledustoexplorethemoregeneralprocessesthatparticipantsadopt whenmakingconsumerdecisions,ratherthanfocusingsolelyonwhytheydonotchoosethelowercarbonoption. 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

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Table1.1:Samplingforthedeliberativeworkshops Workshoplocation Gender LondonA Female LondonB Female BristolA Male BristolB Female YorkA Female YorkB Male

Children Without With With Without With 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.

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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)

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‘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)

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‘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)

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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,whenparticipantsdiscussedcostsavingsthatmightbeachievedbyadoptinglowercarbonbehaviours,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, London,withoutchildren) ‘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.

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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,

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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.’ (Female,York,withchildren)

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)

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3.Perceptionsofspecificlower-carbonchoices ThischaptersetsoutNowPeople’sattitudestowardsspecificlower-carbonconsumerchoices.We identifythefactorsthattheytakeintoaccountwhenmakingconsumerchoicesincertainareas,and thefactorsthatmayworktoinhibitorencouragegreateruptakeofthedesiredlower-carbonoption. First,welookatthefindingsfromworkshopactivitiescentredonsixspecificlower-carbonconsumer choices:

•Energymonitors •Heatingcontrols •Solarpanels •Energy-efficientvehicles •UKholidays •Holidaytravelbytrain. 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.’ (Female,London,withchildren)

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‘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.’ (Female,London,withchildren) ‘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)’

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‘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) Severalofthegroupssuggestedthattheproductcouldbegivenawaywhenpurchasingahighervalueproduct.

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.

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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.’ (Female,London,withchildren) 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.

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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?’ (Female,London,withchildren) ‘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

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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.

Energy-efficientvehicles 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 Thediscussionswithinthegroupsdemonstratedthatabroadvarietyoffactorsinfluencecarpurchasingdecisions.Concernsabouttheenvironmentalimpactofcarswerenotidentifiedasa significantfactorbehindanyoftheparticipants’purchasingdecisions.Whereparticipantsdid commentthatenvironmentalperformanceplayedapartintheirdecision,thiswassecondaryto reductionsincostduetofuelefficiencyorlowerroadtax.Itisthereforeessentialtoconsiderall factorsthataffectcarpurchasesbecauseitisonthesecriteriathatallcars(whetherenvironmentallyfriendlyornot)werejudgedandcompared.Thesefactorsarediscussedbrieflybelow.

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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.’ (Female,London,withchildren) 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.’ (Female,London,withoutchildren) ‘Beetleisanimageisn’tit–justlikeMini?It’snotaneverydaycar,theBeetle.You eitherlikeBeetlesoryoudon’t.’(Male,Bristol,withchildren) OnetypeofcarthatstoodoutashavingaparticularlynegativeimagewastheSUV(sportsutility vehicleor4-wheeldrive),althoughthiswasbynomeansaconsensusviewacrosstheparticipants– manychosetheLandRoverFreelanderastheirfavouritepurchaseamongthestimulusmaterial.Those withastrongdislikeforSUVsassertedthattheyarenotpracticalforuseincitiesandarenotsafefor

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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.

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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,astwoenvironmentallyfriendlycars,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.

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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.’ (Female,London,withoutchildren) 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)

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‘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”.’ (Female,York,withchildren)

Holidaytravelbytrain 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)

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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.’ (Female,London,withchildren) 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.Anipprresearcherobservedthisbriefingandthenconductedashortindepthinterviewwiththeparticipant.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

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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, London,withoutchildren) ‘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.’ (Female,London,withchildren) 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

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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)

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ippr| ConsumerPower: Howthepublicthinkslower-carbonbehaviourcouldbemademainstream

4.Conclusionsandrecommendations OurresearchidentifieskeyaspectsofNowPeople’sattitudesthatshouldbetakenintoaccountwhen designingclimate-changecommunications.Italsohighlightsbarrierstotheuptakeofcertainlowercarbonbehavioursthatareinsurmountablebycommunicationsalone,suchastheperceivedhighcosts involvedinadoptingthem.TosuccessfullyengageNowPeopleinchangingtheirbehaviour,arangeof policyinterventionsisrequired,toworkalongsideeffectivecommunications.

Guidanceforclimate-changecommunications Itisclearfromourresearchthatnewapproachestoclimate-changecommunicationsarerequiredif NowPeoplearetobesuccessfullyencouragedtoadoptlower-carbonbehaviours.Thestartingpoint forsucheffortsshouldbearecognitionthatalackofawarenessoftheissuesisnottheproblem. Ingeneral,wefoundthatNowPeople’sperceptionsaredominatedbyissuesthatareimmediateand tangibleattheindividuallevel(bothfunctionallyandemotionally).Climatechangeisadistant,largescale,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.

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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.

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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,someNowPeoplemayrespondwelltocommunicationsemphasisinghowenergyefficiencymeasurescanoffer‘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

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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,optionsforselfdetermination. 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 •Beautyandpersonalappearance •Fashionandclothes •Futuretrends •Scandalsinhighplaces

•Property •Celebritywritersandcolumnists •Privatelivesofroyalty •Homesandinteriors •Healthandfitness

Source:CulturalDynamicsStrategyandMarketingLtd(unpublished)

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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 Thisresearchprojectaimedtoidentifyopportunitiesforincreasingtheuptakeofsixspecificlowercarbonconsumerchoices: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.

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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 instinctivelyrejectedbythehighlyindividualistNowPeopleandwillprovideaplatformforantienvironmentalprotest. 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

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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‘selfsufficiency’thatsolarpanelscanoffer,withinthecontextofanunsettledworldwithfluctuating energyprices. Consumersalsoneedbasicinformationaboutsolarpanels–notleast,todispelsomeofthedoubts expressedthattheywouldworkintheUK.Effortsshouldalsobemadetocommunicatethephysical appealofsolarpanels,astherewassomescepticismaboutthemamongourresearchparticipants. Positioningthepanelsasattractive‘moderngadgets’wouldhelp. NowPeoplealsoneedtofeelthatsolarpanelsarenormalandauthenticfor‘peoplelikethem’,while atthesametime–critically–helpingmakethemlookspecial.Thisshouldbeacrucialdimensionof

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anygovernmentcampaigntodevelopsustainablebehaviouramongNowPeople.Thehousetheylive inisasymboloftheiridentity.Ifasolarpaneloranyotherenergy-savingtechnologyhelpsmaketheir home‘special’thentheywon’tnecessarilyseetheproductas‘environmental’orsomethingpushedon themby‘do-gooders’,andarethereforelesslikelytoreactagainstit. Theincreasingvisibilityofsolarpanels(andofothermicrogenerationandcommunity-scalelowercarbonheatandelectricitytechnologies)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). Energy-efficientvehicles 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.

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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. Holidaytravelbytrain 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

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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.

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References BachelorL(2009)‘UKholidays...thenewattractionforhard-upBritons’,GuardianUnlimited,15 January2009.Availableat:www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/jan/15/recession-boom-ukholidays 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

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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