Chinese, Australians top green consumers poll

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - When it comes to buying green products and supporting environmentally conscious companies, nobody beats the Chinese or Australians.

China and Australia came top in poll of more than 16,000 people in 15 countries that was designed to see how concerned consumers around the globe are about climate change.

Nearly seven out of 10 Chinese consumers and more than half of Australians said they would prefer to buy products and services from green companies.

This compared to less than 30 percent in France, Britain, Germany and Spain and 42 percent in the United States.

The Chinese also showed a greater preference than other Asians and Europeans in working for companies with a solid environmental reputation.

"China and Australia coming out tops was quite a revelation," said Alnoor Samji, of the market research company Ipsos, which conducted the poll that was released on Tuesday.

"It could be that there is a stronger message coming from China because there is less available there, and it is the public that is doing the leading," he added in an interview.

The Ipsos/MORI survey, commissioned by the communications company Tandberg, also questioned people about the measures they were taking to reduce their carbon footprint.

Nearly 60 percent of Canadians said they were doing things to be more environmentally responsible, followed by 55 percent of Australians and 52 percent of Chinese.

Italy, with only 17 percent, and Russia with 21 percent, were at the bottom of the list.

Samji believes environmental disasters in Asia may have increased awareness about the impact of global warming in countries in the region.

"I think the message to businesses around the world is -- do something because there is consumer demand and there is employee demand -- and whoever doesn't may get left behind," said Samji.

"I hope the message gets to organizations around the world," he added.