In overwhelming proportions, U.S. consumers view themselves as conscious consumers, socially responsible, environmentally friendly, and “green,” preferring energy efficiency, health and safety benefits, fair labor and trade practices, and environmentally-friendly practices in shopping decisions. But this same research found that these consumers also ranked the following companies as most socially responsible:
Company | % selecting |
Whole Foods | 22 |
Newman’s Own | 19 |
Wal-Mart | 18 |
Burt’s Bees | 17 |
General Electric | 16 |
Johnson & Johnson | 16 |
Ben & Jerry’s | 16 |
A lot of these were probably within a margin of error (usually at least 3-5%), which was not stated in this report, which inadequately cited the original research. Even so, while they crow about how consumers shop their consciences, the general level of awareness seems dismal.