news-record.com

The oft-quoted Nielsen, a marketing and media information company, released today its latest Energy Trends report, which distilled from a 32,000-respondent online survey what drives Americans to pay for renewable energy/efficiency technologies. The survey largely confirmed what I'm sure many of you already knew:

* That people are primarily motivated by the prospect of saving money rather than fighting global warming or "saving the Earth;"

* That a tiny minority of Americans participate in green energy programs (such as N.C. Green Power) and that those who do are primarily young, solidly middle class, and liberals and moderates on the political spectrum. In fact, Nielsen found that only 3 percent of U.S. households participate in such programs, and of that number, 14 percent live in the Southern Atlantic region (i.e. North Carolina).

* Those who are interested in alternative energy prefer solar power, with the remaining options trailing by a large margin.

A couple statistics I did find interesting: 

* Many people don't understand Smart Grid technology but are interested in the prospect of managing their energy use online.

* Three percent of responding households reported their plans to purchase a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle once available, with an additional 25 percent indicating they plan to wait until the technology is proven and mainstream before purchasing. Only 15 percent reported that they plan to drive a gas-powered vehicle until they are unavailable. The rest replied that they are waiting until their current car needs to be replaced before considering that type of investment.

Any of you have thoughts on this or related consumer surveys?