Consumer understanding of green terms

Client:
Defra
Start date:
October 2009
Due for completion:
March 2010

Objectives
Defra intends revising the Green Claims Code. To do so it is essential that robust evidence is used to underpin the various guidance and propositions contained within the Code. Having commissioned a series of background studies, it has become clear that additional research is necessary fully to understand how consumers perceive and react to 'green terms'.

Researching people's understanding of language is, however, a particularly complex challenge. The context within which green language occurs – which product it refers to, the link to particular brands, the presence or otherwise of images, and so forth – can make a material difference to the meaning attached to particular terms. This research aims to incorporate an assessment of the role played by this contextual information into the research programme. 

Methodology
Our proposal – which comes from a team that has already been significantly involved in researching green claims – involves a detailed design phase leading into three research strands.

Phase 1
A series of 12 focus groups, recruited in line with Defra's environmental segmentation model, providing a rich source of qualitative data on responses to particular terms and the impact of the context in which they are relayed.

Phase 2
An online survey of 2,000 UK adults, using prompt material and a split sample to test and compare responses to particular terms in different contexts.

Phase 3
A review of relevant literature, conducted in parallel with phases one and two, will examine (i) the consumer research evidence base to ensure any existing work is incorporated rather than duplicated; and (ii) provide a brief overview of the relevant literature from the fields of psychology and neuroscience.

Note: This is a joint project between Brook Lyndhurst, Icaro Consulting and Sauce.

Project Director

Other Project Staff

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