• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, May 7, 2008

The majority of Americans (53%) would pay more for an environmentally friendly product--and 36% say they have changed their personal behavior to benefit the environment, according to a new survey from TNS, which includes a section focused on the United States.

But the picture is a little more complex.

The TNS report "Global Shades of Green" points out only 26% of Americans say they actually seek out environmentally friendly products, and only 19% say the "greenness" of a company impacts their purchasing decisions. Thus, the overall picture (for most Americans at least) is one of well-intentioned but passive interest.

Americans also have strong opinions about the environment, including corporate responsibility, even if they aren't necessarily acting on them. According to the TNS survey, GE and Toyota came out on top, with 45% and 42% of Americans saying they considered them to be environmentally friendly companies.

It may come as a surprise that Wal-Mart beat out Volkswagen, although just barely--35% to 34%--in the same ranking. Down at the bottom are Bank of America and Chevron, with only 20% of respondents saying they considered them environmentally friendly.

Consumers are also wary of corporate motivations for trumpeting green policies and initiatives, with 35% saying they think companies sponsor green initiatives for marketing purposes. According to TNS, this skeptical group includes a high proportion of highly educated, Internet-savvy, high-income males on both coasts.

Returning to the environment in general, 49% of Americans say they are more concerned about the environment than five years ago, and 36% of Americans say they are making an effort to educate themselves about the environment. Of these, 60% said they use the Internet or regular TV news programs, 54% newspapers, 36% magazines and 31% radio. That puts these media well ahead of friends and family, reversing the usual hierarchy of influence for consumer product choice.