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61% of people claim to be concerned about the environment, but only 9% prioritise the environmental impact when they're Christmas shopping

A report looked at the reasons why more people aren't shopping in an eco-friendly way, and how retailers can make it easier for customers to make this change in the future.

61.2% of people claim that they are either 'concerned' or 'very concerned' about how our modern lifestyle is affecting the environment.

However, only 13.1% of people actually shop in an eco-friendly way over Christmas.

Price is the number one consideration for people when they are shopping for Christmas gifts 45.4% of people put this at the top of their list of priorities.

Only 9% of people put 'environmental impact' at the top of their list of key considerations when Christmas shopping.

The main reasons as to what's stopping UK consumer shopping in an eco-friendly way;

-Environmentally-friendly products are too expensive - 39%

-There aren't enough shops selling environmentally-friendly products 35.9%

-It's impossible to know whether what you're buying is environmentally-friendly or not 35.3%

-As an individual, you feel like you won't make a difference as the problem is too big 18.5%

-Environmentally-friendly products are not as good as the alternatives 12.5%

How do people in the UK currently feel about the environment?

61.2% of people claim that they are either 'concerned' or 'very concerned' about how our modern lifestyle is affecting the environment.

This concern is widespread, with high percentages of every age-group sharing the same opinion.

However, this concern for the environment is not being reflected in our shopping habits over Christmas.

What do UK shoppers prioritise when it comes to Christmas shopping?

Respondents were given five common factors that often come into buying Christmas gifts and asked them to order them in terms of what is most important when they're shopping.

Price came out on top, by a long way, with 45.4% of people putting this at the top of their list. Quality of the product was the second most important factor overall, followed by whether the product is sourced and made locally, the environmental impact of the product, and finally the speed of delivery.

Only 9% of people put 'environmental impact' at the top of their list, despite over 60% of people saying they are 'concerned' or 'very concerned' about the planet and how our habits and way of life are affecting it. Almost a quarter (23.4%) actually put this at the very bottom of the list, and just under 30% of people placed it fourth out of five.

So, what's stopping consumers from shopping in an environmentally friendly way?

Only 13.1% of people said that they do make the effort to shop in an eco-friendly way over Christmas.
These are the reasons why:

'Environmentally-friendly products are too expensive'

'There aren't enough shops selling environmentally-friendly products'

'It's impossible to know whether I'm buying an environmentally-friendly product'

'As an individual, I won't make a difference'

'Environmentally-friendly products are not as high quality'

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