This is a quantitative and qualitative research report that brings to life the Conscious Consumers in the UK.

1. The Conscious
Consumer
An exploration and profile of the
Conscious Consumer in the U.K.

2. Conscious Consumers
Definition of a conscious consumer
‘Someone who is concerned with, and
seeks to reduce the negative impact that
their own consumer choices have on
people and/or the environment.’

3. Conscious Consumers
Context

4. Conscious Consumers
Approach

5. Conscious Consumers
Quantitative online survey
• 10-15min quantitative survey with 185 individuals,
conducted in July 2020
• Respondents drawn from a sample of 9K subscribers of
UK conscious consumer magazine, Pebble Magazine*
• For every participant, we planted a tree and offset 20kg
of Co2, in collaboration with Ecologi**
• In addition, respondents were entered into a prize draw
of a range of sustainable gifts worth a total of £100.
Interviews
• 5 x interviews, each of the duration of 1-1,5hrs
• Respondents were sourced at the back of the survey
and invited to take part in a follow-up interview
• Due to coronavirus, they were conducted over Zoom
• Each respondent was offered a monetary incentive of
£35 for their time
Methodology

6. Conscious Consumers
Overview
Getting to
know
Conscious
Consumers
Sustainabil
ity
deep-dive
The brand
lens

7. Conscious
Consumers
Getting to know Conscious
Consumers

8. Conscious Consumers
Conscious Consumers skew towards females aged 25-54

9. Conscious Consumers
Conscious Consumers are found across the UK, in urban
as well as smaller towns and rural areas
Key demographics

10. Conscious Consumers
Our five representative qualitative respondents

11. Conscious Consumers
Conscious consumerism becomes a central part of
their identity….
“I completely understand why people
are looking for that new identity. I
think how we consume and how we
interact with the world – in the way we
see ourself in relation to stuff and the
people who make that stuff – it needs to
change”
Hannah, 34
“I think some friends of mine have
definitely started seeing that as a
cornerstone of my identity” Aileen,
31

12. Conscious Consumers
Living an ethical and eco-friendly life is secondary only to
maintaining their health & spending time with loved ones

13. Conscious Consumers
Has the coronavirus pandemic
changed what’s important?

14. Conscious Consumers

15. Conscious Consumers
Their political views are typically more left-wing, with the
strongest consensus on climate change and green energy
left-leaningviews
right-leani
ng
views

16. Conscious Consumers
Similarly, they see the climate crisis as the biggest
global issue we’re facing, alongside racism

17. Conscious Consumers
The Harvard Business review suggested four potential
ways to segment ‘Green Consumers’…

18. Conscious Consumers
Our Conscious Consumers typically fall into the ‘Resource
Conservers’ group

19. Conscious
Consumers
Sustainability deep-dive

20. Conscious Consumers
What is Conscious Consumerism about to them?
“Only buying what you need – always
sourcing that second hands or ethically
sustainable materials or fair trade”
Kate, 44
“It is about making conscious
decisions around where you invest
your money, what types of
products you purchase, what types
of transportation you use. It is also
about how do you talk to other
people and maybe encourage them
to purchase differently.”
Sarah, 27

21. Conscious Consumers
Beyond climate change, 5 specific issues are important to
Conscious Consumers - including plastic & fashion

22. Conscious Consumers

23. Conscious Consumers
They don’t think enough is being done by brands or the
government

24. Conscious Consumers
Which individual behaviours are they
utilising to try and make an impact?

25. Conscious Consumers
Clothing related sustainability behaviours are some of
the most common, alongside reusable bottles/cups

26. Conscious Consumers
A considerable proportion are currently composting at
home, while few follow an exclusively vegan diet

27. Conscious Consumers
However, many are freezing food before it goes off, and
eating seasonally, in an effort to live more sustainably

28. Conscious Consumers
Many are trying to use less plastic and single-use items, as
well as cutting down on the volume of clothes they buy

29. Conscious Consumers
And they’ll consider the environment before making
purchases – though less so when it comes to transport

30. Conscious Consumers
Strong anti-plastic sentiments are at the core of their
reformed consumer choices...
“I just get frustrated – you go into
a supermarket and everything is in
plastic, so I will just come away
with nothing that I need. If I want
mushrooms and they are in a
plastic box – we don’t get
mushrooms. No mushrooms for us”
Kate, 44
“I am going with the bamboo
toothbrush instead of going with
the standard plastic one – or
choosing the water bottle instead of
the plastic water bottle.”
Sarah, 27

31. Conscious Consumers
Reusable glass and aluminium are seen as the most
sustainable, while single-use plastic is the least

32. Conscious Consumers
Websites and documentaries are the key sources via which
Conscious Consumers learn about sustainability

33. Conscious
Consumers
The brand lens

34. Conscious Consumers
Everyday, frequently used products at the lower-end of the
price scale are top of mind for sustainability

35. Conscious Consumers
They want brands to avoid plastics and want transparency
on issues such as sourcing and their supply chain

36. Conscious Consumers
They want brands to take greater responsibility...
“It is not the end consumer that
constantly have to take
responsibility for the waste. I think
that responsibility should be shifted
significantly on to the producers”
Hannah, 34
“I think what concerns me is that it
is left to the consumer to do all the
work, and it shouldn’t be for me to
send back packaging to each
company, and say ‘do better”
Michelle, 46

37. Conscious Consumers

38. Alexandra Clark
Alexandra@telltaleresearch.com
+44 07900665543
www.telltaleresearch.com