Columbia, MD., March 2, 2010 — Connecting with the growing body of “green moms” requires more than a label and the words “eco-friendly”. According to a new report titled The Green Mom Eco-cosm: A Social Study into their Motivations, Convictions and Influences, this is an increasingly savvy, increasingly educated/informed group of consumers whose buying decisions are motivated not only by price, but by a number of deeply emotional factors.
The report, which is being offered free, is a collaborative project between The Social Studies Group, a consumer research company rooted in social media; and Andrea Learned, a leading Sustainability, Gender, and Consumer Behavior Expert. The study aims to provide insights into how the various “shades” of “green moms” think, and how they are incorporating their “eco-values” into their homes, their lives, their purchasing decisions.
“The women looked at in our study ranged from extremely committed, willing to go to great lengths to cut their families’ consumption, truly making ‘reduce, re-use, re-cycle’ more than just a family mantra, to those whose focus was more on how the environment – think toxins – is impacting their families,” said Angela Walseng, primary author of the report and partner at the Social Studies Group.
The study, based on an examination of self-proclaimed “green moms,” found that three primary categories of eco-conscious mothers emerged: the Super Greens, the Eco-Moderates and the Mainstream Greens. Two distinct profiles are also tucked within these principal categories: the Natural Parenting/ Simple Living Enthusiasts and the Frugal and Greens. Each of these categories and profiles are examined in the report.
SSG’s methodology involved the creation and subsequent exploration of a universe of self-proclaimed green moms in social media; the firm will continue to track this “eco-cosm” over time.
“This approach allows us to capture attitudes and opinions, emotions. We became, in many ways, immersed in these women’s lives, listening to their concerns about the potential health hazard of certain products, their desire to live more responsibly from an environmental standpoint – and the challenges of doing so with little time and on a budget,” said Walseng.
About The Social Studies Group
The Social Studies Group (www.socialstudiesgroup.com) is a social media research firm that provides deep analyses of social media conversations to help companies better understand their customers, competitors, markets and industries. Among the companies SSG has provided research for are Blue Bunny, Cabot Cheese, Weight Watchers and Highlights.
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