A recent survey by Whirlpool Corporation
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With savings -- on energy, water and money -- top-of-mind for today's consumer, Whirlpool Corporation took a closer look at what really drives consumer appliance purchases today. When asked what would be a part of their dream kitchen, eco-efficient appliances beat out other items as the top choice. However, while consumer demand for eco-products is high, understanding of the benefits varies among male and female, married and single.
The survey reveals married or previously married consumers appear to understand the benefits of using eco-efficient products more so than their single counterparts. In fact, 77 percent of married consumers said they look for the ENERGY STAR label when purchasing appliances versus only 59 percent of unmarried consumers. While this indicates a real effort by some to reduce their impact on the environment, it also shows that education is still needed to communicate the benefits to other demographics.
"This survey points to several gaps -- be they marital, gender or generational -- in energy-efficiency awareness," said Michael Todman, president, Whirlpool North America. "As an active partner of the ENERGY STAR program since August 1998, Whirlpool continues to lead the industry with resource-saving innovations. We are committed to communicating the benefits of these innovations across the gaps identified in the survey."
What else did consumers have to say about eco-efficiency in their homes? A lot, particularly when looking across gender, marital status and age groups.
The greener gender? Eco-industry insiders have long touted women as the "greener" gender, yet 71 percent of males aged 35-44 surveyed are more attuned to high efficiency (HE) laundry products as compared to their female counterparts in the same age group (54 percent).
Love and marriage. Sixty-one percent of married and 64 percent of previously married consumers said they understand what HE means in terms of laundry compared to only 51 percent of unmarried consumers.
Generation gap. The majority of consumers age 18-44 said they would have a HE washer in their dream laundry room, while consumers aged 45+ said they would most prefer a washer and dryer that are more ergonomically friendly. Increasingly, manufacturers are designing products to cater to this age group, which makes up half of the nation's purchasing power. Appliance features include pedestals that raise the height of washers and dryers to reduce bending and controls with large knobs and audible cycle signals for those with limited vision or arthritis.
Efficient or not? Forty-four percent of consumers said they did not know if top-load washers use more energy than front-loaders and 38 percent believe that they do, indicating a need for clarity when it comes to communicating the benefits of HE machines to appliance shoppers. In fact, HE machines are available in both top and front-load configurations, using up to 67 percent less energy and 70 percent less water and up to 73 percent less water and 77 percent less energy, respectively, as compared to conventional top-loaders.
Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive via its QuickQuery(SM) online omnibus service on behalf of Whirlpool Corporation between December 29 and 31 2008, among 2,042 U.S. adults aged 18 years and older. Results were weighted as needed for region, age within gender, education, household income and race/ethnicity. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online. No estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated; a full methodology is available.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.
Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the U.S. adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to be invited to participate in the Harris Interactive online research panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
Visit www.whirlpoolcorp.com to learn more. About Whirlpool Corporation
Whirlpool Corporation is the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of approximately $19 billion, 70,000 employees, and 69 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world. The company markets Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Brastemp, Consul, Bauknecht and other major brand names to consumers in nearly every country around the world. Additional information about the company can be found at http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com/.
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is a global leader in custom market research. With a long and rich history in multimodal research that is powered by our science and technology, we assist clients in achieving business results. Harris Interactive serves clients globally through our North American, European and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.
First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: angela_m_hersil@whirlpool.com
SOURCE: Whirlpool Corporation
CONTACT: Whirlpool Corporation Media Line, +1-269-923-7405,
+1-269-923-3978,