Are Americans Cutting Consumption Due to the Recession—or to Be Greener?

One thing is certain, US consumers are tightening their belts and cutting back.

According to “The Harris Poll,” conducted by Harris Interactive, people are increasingly doing a number of small things to save money. For instance, they are cutting media consumption, canceling magazine, newspaper and cable TV subscriptions.

The main reasons for the changes in consumption patterns are economic, but as a result consumers are behaving in more environmentally friendly ways.

Many of the behavior changes are much greener.

Not only are almost half of US consumers brown bagging their lunch, 39% have switched to refillable water bottles instead of purchasing bottles of water, 38% are going to the hairdresser less and 12% have begun carpooling or using mass transit—actions that all could have long-term effects on the environment.

Little by little the trend is clear: US consumers are consuming less.

But, as the report states, “What happens in the future with these small changes will be interesting to watch.”

“Americans are doing whatever it takes to cut back on spending,” says Regina Corso of Harris. “It could be that once the economy has turned the corner the culture of saving and cutting back will remain.”

Or, once the economy improves, consumers could go back to spending and consuming more again. Many environmentalist are hoping that won’t be the case.

For another viewpoint on this subject, see Green Product Spending Holds Steady Despite Recession