Sustainable Development

In 1990, Roper Starch Worldwide, Inc. and S.C. Johnson & Son Inc. embarked on a mission to gauge the environmental attitudes, knowledge and involvement of Americans through a series of five landmark public opinion polls.

The fifth in the series of Roper polls, commisioned by S.C.Johnson & Son Inc., wasSustainable Development: The New American Dream, A National Survey of American Attitudes & Actions for Economic, Environmental & Social Progress.

The poll examines American attitudes, behaviors and knowledge regarding the environment, and how individual and collective choices can either positively or negatively impact protection of our natural resources.

About the Polling Company and Sponsor:

Roper Starch Worldwide is one of the largest and best-known marketing and opinion research firms in the world. Founded in 1933, Roper was the first firm in the world to use scientific survey techniques to study consumer behavior, marketing strategy, public opinion, and corporate image.

The poll's sponsor, S.C.Johnson, is a privately held, 109-year-old company headquartered in Racine, Wisconsin. Popularly known as SC Johnson Wax, the company provides cleaning and maintenance products for the home and workplace. With operations in 50 countries, the company has recieved numerous awards in recognition of its environmental leadership and progress, including the prestigious World Environment Center Gold Medal for International Corporate Environmental Leadership and America's Corporate Conscience Award for Environmental Stewardship from the Council on Economic Priorities. SC Johnson Wax chairman, Sam Johnson, serves as a member of President Clinton's President's Council on Sustainable Development.

Methodology:

A nationally representative cross-section of 1,002 men and women, age 18 or older was interviewed face-to-face in respondents' homes. Interviewing for this study was conducted in late 1995. The questions in the poll were broad and comprehensive, ranging from economic growth to the quality of a home environment. The margin of error due to sampling is plus or minus three percentage points.

Conclusion/Findings:

When asked if the three goals of sustainable development-- economic growth, environmental protection and the health and happiness of people-- can be accomplished without sacrificing any one of them, 66% of Americans agree that they can.

Distinct from the "either/or" mindset that has characterized the political debate about environmental protection for the last two decades, the vast majority of the American public believes that these three goals can be achieved simultaneously -- you don't have to choose one over the other.

The poll clearly shows that by a two-to-one majority, Americans endorse the principles of sustainablity, and are poised to act on them.

Only 22% believe in the idea that gains in one area come at the expense of other areas. Thus, despite the traditional portrayal of economic, environmental, and human needs as being competitive with one another, the American people overwhelmingly agree with the advocates of sustainable development that we can, and should, seek solutions that solve all important needs.

The poll also defined a certain segment of the population -- nearly 1 in 4 Americans -- who are living a "New American Dream," embracing and acting on the principles of sustainable development.

These individuals are active at the community level and characterized by their high level of personal satisfaction with their home and family life. These "New Dreamers," comprising 23% of the population, differ from other Americans in that this group is no longer waiting for leadership; instead, they are being proactive by focusing greater attention on home and community life, and becoming more involved on a local level in issues which bind American life together. They pride themselves on individual initiative, accountability and responsibility.

For example, New Dreamers would tend to be involved in efforts to ensure a clean community and home environment, working to improve the quality of local school systems and spending more time with their families.

This same segment of the population (23% of all American adults -- or nearly 45 million adults) shows a strong proclivity to "think globally and act locally." As a group, they have already embraced the principle of sustainable development and are more active at the community level in pursuit of their goals and aspirations. And they are reaping the rewards of their activist interest and involvement in their communities in terms of their high levels of personal satisfaction with both their home life and their communities.

They are without a doubt at the forefront of a movement which will slowly involve additional Americans as well.

Assessing American Priorities:

Americans rank the following top 10 issues (in order of priority) as most important:

(1) Trying to solve the problems of crime and drugs

(2) Trying to find cures for serious diseases

(3) Taking steps to contain the cost of health care

(4) Trying to ensure people have jobs and decent wages

(5) Trying to improve the quality of public school problems

(6) Taking steps to ensure better leaders in elected positions

(7) Taking steps to reduce the budget deficit

(8) Trying to solve the problem of teenage pregnancies

(9) Trying to improve the quality of our environment

(10) Trying to solve the nation's racial problems

The top 10 problems to be faced in the next 25 to 50 years (in order of importance).

(1) Spread of crime and violence to all places

(2) Starvation in many parts of the world

(3) Congestion of cities and highways

(4) Divisions between rich and poor in this country

(5) Overpopulation

(6) Racism

(7) Lack of jobs that pay decent wages

(8) Severe air pollution

(9) Severe water pollution

(10) Health problems caused by man-made chemicals