New York,NY - July 29, 2008 - Many Americans, including those who are enduring financial hardship, are willing to pay more for environmentally friendly products, according to a survey conducted by GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media and the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.

"Many American consumers, even in the face of economic uncertainty, express a willingness to pay more for environmentally friendly products," said Anthony Leiserowitz, director of Yale Project on Climate Change. "Toyota can't make the Prius fast enough to meet consumer demand, to cite just one example, and many see 'green' products as the wave of the future."

Half of the respondents to the survey said they would "definitely" or "probably" pay 15% more for eco-friendly clothes detergent (51%) or for an automobile (50%). Forty percent said they would spend 15% more on "green" computer printer paper and 39 percent would do the same for "green" wood furniture.

Americans who said their current financial situation is "fair" or "poor" were just as willing to spend 15% more on environmentally-friendly detergent or wood furniture as those Americans more confident of their current financial situation.

Moreover, a majority of Americans said it is important to them that a number of products they purchase be environmentally friendly -- automobiles (66% say it is "important" or "essential"), clothes detergent (62%), and computer printer paper (51%).

The survey also reveals that Americans want additional information about the environmental impacts of products to appear on labels. Solid majorities say that it is either "important" or "essential" to have eco-labels that describe the environmental impacts caused by product manufacture (73%), use (73%) and disposal (79%).

When asked to rate the trustworthiness of various eco-label sponsors, 75% of respondents said environmental groups are "very" or "somewhat" trustworthy, while 55% said government agencies and 51% said industry groups are trustworthy.

"These results suggest that manufacturers who offer high-quality and credibly labeled eco-friendly products will have opportunities to gain a competitive edge," said Graeme Auld, a doctoral candidate at Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.

Findings in the GfK Roper/Yale Survey on Environmental Issues are derived from two national telephone surveys of Americans, ages 18 and over, conducted from March 28-30 (n=1,004) and April 4-6, 2008 (n=1,006) as part of GfK Roper's weekly OMNITEL telephone omnibus service. The sample is drawn from random digit dialing (RDD) probability samples of all telephone households in the continental United States. Data were weighted to match national norms (derived from the Current Population Survey) on sex, age, region, and education. Topline findings are projectable at the 95% confidence level to the total adult continental US population within an average +/- 3 percentage point margin of error.

Full results are available at www.gfkamerica.com or at http://environment.yale.edu/Roper

About GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media

GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media is a division of GfK Custom Research North America. The division specializes in customized public opinion polling, media & communications research, and corporate reputation measurement -- in the US and globally. In addition to delivering a broad range of customized research studies, GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media draws from GfK's syndicated consumer tracking services, GfK Roper Reports(R) US and GfK Roper Reports(R) Worldwide, which monitor consumer values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors in the US and more than 25 other countries.

About GfK Custom Research North America

Headquartered in New York, GfK Custom Research North America is part of the GfK Group. With home offices in Nuremberg, Germany, the GfK Group is the No. 5 market research organization worldwide. Its activities cover the three business sectors of Custom Research, Retail and Technology and Media. The Group has 115 companies covering over 90 countries. Of a total of approximately 9,297 employees (as of March 31, 2008), 80% are based outside Germany.

About the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies

The Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies is a graduate and
professional school that provides teaching, research and outreach in broad areas of environmental science, policy and management to some 200 candidates for master's degrees and 75 doctoral students. For more information, visit http://environment.yale.edu.

GfK Custom Research North America

GfK Custom Research North America

Headquartered in New York, GfK Custom Research North America is part of the GfK Group, the world's fourth largest market research company. GfK Custom Research North America combines the global resources of the GfK Group with the local knowledge of North America's leading fact-based consultancies. Beyond our sector-specific experts, specialty practice areas and research center for excellence, we deliver unmatched knowledge designed to help your business grow. By offering access to several of the world's largest databases combined with a full-range of ad-hoc research services, we deliver proven, state-of-the-art solutions developed from a 360° view of your market, including our annual GfK Roper Green Gauge® study, which provides insights into consumer attitudes toward environmental issues.

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