Climate Change Segments in America

This research explored the climate change beliefs and future behavior of 2,025 United States residents. Using market segmentation techniques called exploratory factor analysis and k-means clustering we managed to identify three climate change segments: Climate Change Activists (32 per cent of Americans), Climate Change Moderates (41 per cent of Americans), and Climate Change Deniers (27 per cent of Americans).

Intensions Consulting - Climate Change Segments in America.png

Among those Americans in the Climate Change Activists segment, 100 per cent believe that climate change is a real problem for the world today and 98 per cent agree that climate changed is caused by human activity. From a demographic perspective, those in the Climate Change Activists segment were more likely to hold liberal political views, have graduated university, and have an annual household income of over 100,000 dollars.

In contrast, among those Americans in the Climate Change Deniers segment only 6 per cent believe that climate change is a real problem for the world today and 4 per cent agree that climate changed is caused by human activity. From a demographic perspective, those in the Climate Change Deniers segment were more likely to hold conservative political views.

Solar energy & electric cars in America

In order to assess the validity of these three climate change segments we also explored the sources of electricity and the modes of transportation they would like use in the future.

Intensions Consulting - Solar Energy & Electric Cars in America.png

Among those Americans in the Climate Change Activists segment 68 per cent said they would like solar energy to be their primary source of electricity in the next five years and 27 per cent said they would like an electric vehicle to be their primary mode of transportation in the next five years. In contrast, Americans in the Climate Change Deniers segment were much less interested in using solar energy (26 per cent) or driving an electric vehicle (8 per cent) in the next five years.

Climate Change Segments in Canada

This research explored the climate change beliefs and future behavior of 1,009 Canadian residents. Using market segmentation techniques called exploratory factor analysis and k-means clustering we managed to identify three climate change segments: Climate Change Activists (60 per cent of Canadians), Climate Change Moderates (33 per cent of Canadians), and Climate Change Deniers (8 per cent of Canadians).

Intensions Consulting - Climate Change Segments in Canada.png

Among those Canadians in the Climate Change Activists segment, 100 per cent believe that climate change is a real problem for the world today and 99 per cent agree that climate changed is caused by human activity. From a demographic perspective, those in the Climate Change Activists segment were more likely to hold liberal political views, have graduated university, and have an annual household income of over 100,000 dollars.

In contrast, among those Canadians in the Climate Change Deniers segment only 1 per cent believe that climate change is a real problem for the world today and 1 per cent agree that climate changed is caused by human activity. From a demographic perspective, those in the Climate Change Deniers segment were more likely to hold conservative political views.

Solar energy & electric cars in Canada

In order to assess the validity of these three climate change segments we also explored the sources of electricity and the modes of transportation they would like use in the future.

Intensions Consulting - Solar Energy & Electric Cars in Canada.png

Among those Canadians in the Climate Change Activists segment 62 per cent said they would like solar energy to be their primary source of electricity in the next five years and 30 per cent said they would like an electric vehicle to be their primary mode of transportation in the next five years. In contrast, Canadians in the Climate Change Deniers segment were much less interested in using solar energy (21 per cent) or driving an electric vehicle (16 per cent) in the next five years.

About This Research

These are findings from an Intensions Consulting study conducted between January 20, 2020, and January 28, 2020. For this study a 20-minute online survey was administered with a sample of 2,025 United States residents, and 1,009 Canadian residents, aged 16 years and older. Each national sample was stratified by gender, age, and region, to ensure that the sample’s composition reflected the underlying distribution of the population as determined by Census data. For the United States, a traditional probability sample of comparable size would have produced results considered accurate to within plus or minus 2.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. For Canada, a traditional probability sample of comparable size would have produced results considered accurate to within plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

For more information on this research, please contact: info@intensions.co

Client Quotes
What Our Clients Say

"In my experience, most research studies are not entirely surprising: They often simply serve to validate that which you already know. That was until I started working with Intensions... Their ability to turn what can often be uninspiring quantitative data into something simple, thought provoking and actionable is unparalleled in the industry. There is simply no comparison to other research agencies. Intensions sits at a level well beyond."

MICHELLE LEE, STRATEGIC PLANNING DIRECTOR,

OGILVY

What Our Clients Say

"I’ve had the pleasure of working with Intensions Consulting since early 2016. They came highly recommended and did not disappoint - becoming a natural extension of our team and trusted advisors. We partnered on a number of projects in support our expansion into new countries & markets. Not only did they bring incredible expertise they were able to learn our business, culture and values and apply recommendations that worked for our unique business and culture. We look forward to continuing to work with Intensions as a natural extension of the #SajeTeam."

KATIE DRECHSEL, VICE PRESIDENT,

SAJE WELLNESS

What Our Clients Say

"We've had the pleasure of working with Nick Black and the team at Intensions Consulting through our Movember funded Men's Depression & Suicide Network. As research partners, and external evaluators, they have played a substantive and valuable role in helping us to understand, measure and address public awareness and stigma surrounding men's depression and suicide. I fully endorse and highly recommend the work of Intensions Consulting and look forward to our continuing partnership."

DR. JOHN OLIFFE, PROFESSOR

UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

What Our Clients Say

"Research is critical to informing the creation and development of a brand and it takes a researcher who understands the complexity of brand development to set those wheels in motion. Thanks to the highly customized research approach Intensions Consulting produced and orchestrated for the Canada Beef global brand team, we were able to understand our key global markets in China, Japan, Mexico and at home in Canada in a whole new way. Intensions expertly guided us through an impressive array of statistics and provided our team with an interactive, collaborative and thought-provoking experience that will elevate our efforts for years to come."

JAMES BRADBURY, BRAND OFFICER,

CANADA BEEF

What Our Clients Say

"Nick Black and the team at Intensions Consulting have been a trusted source of research and insight for the Canadian Men's Health Foundation. As research partners they have helped us define our strategic direction, refine our health promotion initiatives, and validate the impact of work across Canada. We're very happy to recommend Intensions Consulting and we thank them for helping us ‘Inspire Canadian Men to Live Healthy Lives'."

WAYNE HARTRICK, PRESIDENT

CANADIAN MEN'S HEALTH FOUNDATION

What Our Partners Say

"I've worked with Nick on a number of projects and would work with him again at the drop of a heartbeat. His depth of knowledge and understanding of market research, market psychology and strategy is beyond impressive and his passion for it is contagious... I've seen clients totally blown away with the work he has presented and more so because new thinking like morphological research is (finally) giving us that human reality layer to research; a layer that's been missing for a long time and which ultimately, gives brands a tangible competitive advantage."

DR. JON HAYWOOD, HEAD OF STRATEGY

NOMADS AGENCY

What Our Clients Say

"Working with the Nick and the team at Intensions was such a pleasure! Not only does Intensions bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in market research and psychology, but they also go above and beyond to ensure that you are satisfied. Many research studies have been conducted around the world on consumer preferences and buying behaviour in the agricultural field. However, none of these were quite like the research completed by Intensions for our organization and membership base."

DR. ANGELA GRETER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,

ALBERTA FARM ANIMAL CARE

What Our Partners Say

"Intensions Consulting's qualitative market research approach is capable of distilling invaluable insights, the kind that will inform the development of well-grounded, market-relevant, truly differentiated brands. Nick's ability to extract meaning from fundamental human motivations, perceptions, beliefs and attitudes, allows you to uncover the most viable path for developing a brand."

JAVIER PUIG, DIRECTOR,

PERSONA