Race/Ethnicity of American Children

Latino children under age 18 are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. children’s population, up from 17.1% in 2000 to 21.7% in 2008.

The other groups increasing as a proportion of the U.S. population are White children (69.3% in 2009, up from 68.6% in 2000) and Asian children (4.0% in 2008, up from 3.4% in 2000). The following chart provides details on the change in population for other races/ethnicities.

Online Transaction Trends

Most Americans (84%) made at least one online transaction in 2009, including 68% who shopped online, 60% who handled their finances, 56% who booked travel, and 18% who bought insurance. Almost one-half (48%) conducted more online transactions than they did in 2008 because doing so allowed them to compare products and prices (72%), to take advantage of online-only sales (59%), and to save money on gas (45%).

However, the number of times they purchased something online in a typical month fell to 3.1, down from 3.4 in 2008 and 3.6 in 2007. They spent an age of $102 per shopping session in 2009, compared to $199 in 2008 and $130 in 2007.

More than one-quarter of shoppers who had trouble with an online transaction (26%) shared their experience with the company on its website (down from 32% in 2008), while 12% wrote about it on a social networking site or blog (up from 6% in 2008).

Defining Gentleman

According to GQ magazine, most men (62%) say they would like to be described as a gentleman, above being described as smart (16%), funny (14%), successful (4%), or handsome (3%). A majority of men define a gentleman as someone who is authentic and honest about who he is (82%), takes responsibility for his behavior (77%), and is confident but not arrogant (75%).

A Nickelodian TV report says 70% of parents think it’s important that they teach their sons to be respectful of women, 55% to be a good father, and 46% to be an independent thinker.

Teens and Tweens on Social Media

Internet users aged 15-17 spend 19.9 hours a week online for both personal use and schoolwork. Six in 10 (60%) consider themselves tech-savvy when compared to their peers, with 53% saying it’s important to “own the very latest in gadgets and technology.”

While 99% of Generation Y consumers (age 18-24) keep up an active profile on at least one social network, only 22% of this age group use Twitter, according to a report by Participatory Marketing Network. Of those using Twitter, most (85%) follow friends, 54% follow celebrities, and 29% follow companies.

Environmental Actions

One third of Americans (32%) say they have thought hard about their personal impact on the environment, compared to 37% who have thought little about it. The following chart shows which actions they are likely to take.

Cause Marketing and Women

Some 62% of women shoppers (ages 18-49) feel they are making the world a better place by supporting brands that engage in socially responsible efforts, with 54% saying those purchases make them feel they are living their values.

Almost all women (93%) supported at least one cause in 2009. Seventy-three percent say they are willing to pay more for products to help companies off-set their “do good” efforts.

In 2007, research showed that women responded well to the words socially responsible, ethical and informed. However, in 2009, they preferred words such as caring, generous and unselfish.

Attitudes on Advertising

Six in ten Americans (61%) have an opinion about advertising that references the recession. Some 44% say it makes the ads seem more manipulative, 38% say it makes the brands seem more realistic, and 20% say those ads depress them and make them less likely to purchase the brand. The chart below breaks this down by age group.

Paying for Online News Sources

One in seven Americans (15%) currently pays to access news online. They fall into these three paying categories equally: $1-5 per month (5%), $6-10 per month (5%), and more than $10 per month (5%).

American’s current sources of news are primarily free: 65% get news from broadcast TV, 51% from online portals, 50% from TV station websites, and 35% from the radio. Most (56%) get news from cable news channels, 36% use local or regional newspapers, and 30% subscribe to national newspapers.

Some 48% of Americans are willing to pay for online news. The following chart breaks down the amounts they are willing to spend.

How Americans Define Wellness

Americans’ definition of wellness has shifted significantly since 2008. While they used to say it’s about being fit, healthy, and leading a balanced life, the new view focuses on re-inventing their lives. The following chart provides a closer look at this change in attitudes.

Connectivity Is Important

A 2009 Motorola study found that most Americans (78%) feel as though they are constantly connected to friends, family, and colleages, regardless of their physicial location. A majority in each generation says that being connected is a necessity to them: Millenials (79%), Gen Xers (64%), and Baby Boomers (65%).

When they are connected, they feel relaxed (68%), confident (62%), peaceful (55%) and proud (32%). When they aren’t connected, they feel frustrated (66%), stressed (47%), anxious (43%) angry (32%), disorganized (31%) and outdated (22%).

B2B Digital Budget Forecast

Typically, business-to-business marketers spend over one-half of their digital budgets on their Web sites, which is expected to grow 7.5% in 2010. Search engine marketing, which accounts for 15% of budgets, will grow 17%. Webinar related expenditures will rise 26%, video sites approximately 153%, and social networking 43%.

According to Outsell, business-to-business firms plan to cut their mobile marketing spending by 38% in 2010. From 2008 to 2009, their mobile spending had grown 5%.

Digital marketing expenditures by all U.S. advertisers will surpass those of print for the first time during 2010. Print spending will about 3.2%, while online spending is expected to grow almost 10%.

Bullets:

• Most automobile shoppers (54%) say that their online research was the primary medium which led them to choose a specific dealership.
• Plus-sized women (32%) say their bust is their best feature, followed by their hands (24%) and their legs (20%).
• Working moms (57%) claim the best part of going on a business trip is having some personal time.

Read all bullets

Parents’ Online Spending Habits

Recent research shows that Dad spends more than Mom for download music, games or movies from the Internet. See the chart below for details.

Male parents are also online with their children for more hours each week than moms. Among parents who own any type of online device, dads spent 4.5 hours on the Internet with their children, compared with 2.9 hours for moms.

A 2010 Yahoo! survey showed that fathers, versus childless men, make more purchase decisions in categories such as consumer packaged goods, personal care and apparel. However, 66% of dads say they felt ignored by child and baby product advertising and 57% felt alienated by those advertisements – even though 80% were either primary or shared decision-makers about such products.

Type of Online Content Paid for by U.S. Mom and Dad Internet Users, February 2011 (% of respondents)

Americans Falling Out of the Middle Class

According to the Pew Economic Mobility Project, 28% of people who grew up in the U.S. middle class eventually fell down the income ladder. The report was created from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth study, which looked at teenagers in 1979 and returned to review their economic status between 2004 and 2006.

While 21% of white men wind up falling out of the middle class (defined as making between the 30th and 70th percentile of the American income distribution), a much larger percentage (38%) of black men who grew up in the middle class slid down the ladder.

Men who are divorced, widowed or separated are 13% more likely to drop out of the middle class than are married men, and men who have never married are 6% to 10% more likely to fall than married men.

The report also shows that white, black and Hispanic women are equally likely to drop out of the middle class. Compared with married women, women who are divorced, widowed or separated are between 31% and 36% more likely to fall down the economic ladder. Never-married women are 16% to 19% more likely to fall than married women.

Popular Car Colors

White is the most popular vehicle color in the world, followed by black and silver, according to the car-paint supplier PPG Industries.

In North America, white came in first, making up 20% of the 2011-model-year cars. Silver was second at 19%, followed by black (18%), gray (15%), red and blue (tied at 9%), naturals such as brown, tan and gold (7%), green (2%) and other colors (1%).

Results varied in Europe and Asia, though both continents had the same three color choices on top.

PPG also reported that 48% of car buyers make choices based on color, and 31% are willing to pay extra for a vehicle that expresses their personality through color.

Continued Popularity of Social Media Dominated by Facebook

According to Nielsen, social media now accounts for 22.5% of the time that Americans spend online, compared with 9.8% for online games and 7.6% for e-mail.

Facebook is Americans’ most used social media brand, spending 53.5 billion minutes on facebook.com from computers at home and work during May 2011. This is up 6% from 50.6 billion minutes in May 2010. Other popular social media sites include Blogger (723.8 million minutes); Tumblr (623.5 million minutes); Twitter (565.2 million minutes); and LinkedIn (325.7 million minutes).

Facebook reaches 70% of active Internet users in the U.S.; 62% of Facebook visitors are female.

Measuring Customer Engagement

Successful marketing goes beyond making the sale; it’s a much longer and involved process called customer engagement. Customer engagement includes the interactions, experiences and context that create and nurture enduring, profitable customer relationships.

Leading Metrics Used by U.S. Marketing Executives to Assess Customer Engagement, April 2010 (% of respondents)

Social Media and Brands

A majority of Americans (86%) have interacted with a company or brand online. Some 38% use social networks to do so, 16% use message boards, and 13% use blogs. This is compared to 62% who use websites and 62% who use email. The most common reason consumers are enticed to follow a company or brand via social media is to access incentives such as coupons, discounts and free products or services (77%).

Social media users follow an average of five companies or brands on Facebook and Twitter. One-third (33%) do not follow any, and 8% follow 10 or more.

Mobile Shopping Technology, Small but Growing

Mobile purchases are growing faster than online sales, which are increasing about 10% percent per year. Total mobile commerce is expected to reach $6 billion this year, or 2% percent of overall e-commerce sales. By 2016, it could reach $31 billion.

Some 82 million smart phones are in use in the U.S. (one-third of people age 13 and older own one) and that number is expected to double by 2015. More and more smart phone users are using mobile applications: The average user spends 81 minutes a day using mobile apps.

Today, users spend most of their time playing games, checking social networks, taking videos, accessing maps, and getting sports scores, according to digital research firm comScore. Shopping currently ranks at number 13, engaged in by fewer than 7% of mobile users.

The biggest problems are buyers’ tedious chore of typing payment information into the small devices along with security worries over inputting their credit card numbers into their phones. In addition, fewer than one-third of retailers recently polled say they have a fully implemented a mobile strategy. Sales are difficult to come by when shoppers are required to zoom in and out of a site not yet oriented to the mobile screen.

Health Insurance Costs Rise Sharply

A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that the average annual premium for family coverage through an employer is $15,073 in 2011, an increase of 9% over the previous year. While the demand for health care appears to be growing relatively slowly, insurers and benefit consultants say prices for medical care continue to rise as prescription drug makers and hospitals charge more.

Over all, the cost of family coverage has about doubled since 2001, when premiums averaged $7,061, compared with only a 34% gain in wages over the same period.

The annual growth in premiums, according to the survey, had slowed in recent years to 5%, rising just 3% in 2010, in part due to the recession. After several years of double-digit increases, the moderate rise was a welcome change of pace.

Genetically Modified Foods Not Yet Labeled in U.S.

An estimated 80% of processed foods sold in the U.S. contain genetically modified organisms. However, GMO foods are not labeled as such even though 93% of Americans support mandatory labeling.

More than 40 countries around the world require labeling of foods that contain GMOs including Australia, Brazil, the European Union, Japan, Russian and China.

About one-third of Americans (35%) believe that GMO foods are safe to eat, with 52% saying they are unsafe, and an additional 13% saying they are unsure about them.

The following chart shows the disparity in image between GMO and organic foods. While only 5% of Americans say they’d be more likely to purchase a food labeled as genetically modified, 52% say they’d be more likely to purchase food that is labeled as having been raised organically.

Organic vs. GMO Foods

Source: ABCNEWS.com poll, June 2011

Hispanic Population Life Expectancy

The U.S. Hispanic population had the lowest median age (27.4 years) compared to other racial/ethnic groups in 2006 (the most recent data available). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this group will also live longer than other Americans as shown below.

Average Life Expectancy for American Men and Women, by Race/Ethnicity, 2010

 Websites Need Improvements

One goal of marketers is to effectively convert website visitors into buying prospects. However, 84% of U.S. B2B marketers say their ability to generate new sales leads using their website needs moderate to strong improvement. Other desired website improvements are listed in the following chart.

Ways Their Company Website Can Be Improved According to U.S. B2B Marketing and IT Professionals, May 2011 (% of respondents)

B2C and B2B Marketing Priorities

According to Focus Research, business-to-consumer (B2C) marketers are more likely to concentrate on improving client understanding and retention this year than their business-to-business (B2B) counterparts, who are placing a higher importance on filling the sales pipeline with leads.

The following chart shows the differences and similarities between B2B and B2C marketers’ efforts.

Highest Strategic Priorities of B2B and B2C Marketing Professionals Worldwide, May 2011 (% of respondents)

Emerging Majority Business Ownership Rising

There were 5.8 million emerging majority-owned businesses in 2007, the most recent year for which data is available. The number of emerging majority-owned businesses grew 45.6% between 2002 and 2007, compared an 18% increase in the number of U.S. businesses overall. Most of these emerging majority-owned businesses (5.0 million) did not have any employees besides the owner. The 0.8 million businesses with employees had a total of 5.9 million workers.

Public Transit

Some 69% of Americans say there are times when public transportation is more convenient than driving. The biggest motivators for using public transit are:

• High gas prices (29%)
• Convenience (29%)
• Avoiding traffic (10%)
• Environmental concerns (8%)
• Relaxing while traveling or getting things done (7%)
• Safer (4%)
• Because other people are using public transportation (1%)

Almost one-half (46%) of those with public transportation in their area say that local, state, and federal governments spend too little on public transportation, compared to only 11% who think government spending is too high.

Americans rank reduced congestion (28%) as the most valuable aspect of public transportation, followed by saves money (24%), protects the environment (13%), reduces stress (11%), supports the economy (9%), reduces dependence on foreign oil (9%), reduces travel time (4%), and other (3%).

Hospital Energy Management

A 2011 survey of U.S. hospitals (2011 Hospital Energy Management Survey) shows that a majority of organizations are not yet taking basic recommended steps such as performing regular energy audits, creating a strategic master energy plan, using commissioning of existing buildings or following the Green Guide for Health Care to monitor baseline energy performance. Below is a summary of survey findings:

1. Acute care hospitals are one of the biggest energy users, resulting in health care ranking second behind the food-service industry in total energy consumed per square foot among commercial buildings, according to the Department of Energy.
2. Most main hospital buildings – including those of 69% of the survey respondents – still are more than 20 years old. (The performance of energy-consuming systems degrades by as much as 30% in the first few years of operation, per the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.)
3. About 28% said they perform an energy audit in their acute care hospital at least annually, while another 25% said they do theirs every two to three years, results that were much like the 2006 survey. (Experts say the exact time between audits isn’t as important as doing them regularly and following up on the recommendations.)
4. Some 43% saw annual energy costs rise from the previous year, with the most common response (30%) being an increase of between one and five percent. However almost as many (40%) reported lower costs, likely derived from a combination of energy efficiency efforts and a reduction in rates in some areas.
5. At least 25% set an energy budget and performance targets, and monitor them annually (38%), and participate in Energy Star (29%, up from 14% in 2006).
6. Energy reduction strategies by at least 75% included preventive maintenance, light-emitting diode exit signs, and electronic ballast and energy-efficient lamps. Other efforts were buying Energy Star-certified products (55%), upgrading building control systems (53%) or implementing energy conservation programs (49%).
7. Energy saving strategies incorporated into health care renovation projects included using higher-efficiency HVAC equipment (51%) and retrocommissioning and/or reduced-lighting power density and occupancy controls (30%).
8. Two-thirds (66%) participate in a demand-response program, committing to run their emergency generators to alleviate load/stress on the grid.
9. Other energy-management strategies included HVAC/air handling improvements (37%), lighting system improvements (24%) and water heater, steam or heat recovery (13%).

Share of Energy Use by Appliances and Electronics Increases

Over the past three decades, the share of residential electricity used by appliances and electronics in U.S. homes almost doubled from 17% to 31%, rising from 1.77 quadrillion Btu (quads) to 3.25 quads. This rise has occurred while Federal energy efficiency standards were enacted on every major appliance, overall household energy consumption actually decreased from 10.58 quads to 10.55 quads, and energy use per household dropped 31%.

• The gains in appliance efficiencies were offset by a number of factors including:
• The number of U.S. households grew by 34.5 million from 1978 to 2009.
• Improved living standards resulted in more households buying and using major appliances.
• The share of households that have central air conditioning nearly tripled, from 23% in 1978 to 61% in 2009.
• The saturation, or percent of households with an appliance, of clothes washers increased from 74% to 82%
• The saturation of dishwashers increased from 35% to 59%
• In 1978, personal computers were expensive and not typically used by U.S. households. By 2009, 76% of U.S. homes had at least one computer and 35% had multiple computers.
• Most households had only one television in 1978. By 2009, the average household had 2.5 televisions.
• DVD players and Digital Video Recorders (DVR) did not exist in 1978. In 2009, 79% of homes had a DVD player, and 43% had a DVR. In addition, almost one-third of all households had at least four electronic devices, such as cell phones, plugged in and charging at home.

Source:  U.S. Energy Information Administration

Bullets

• When Americans go on vacation, most would rather see a sunset than a sunrise (66%), try new food than stick to their regular fare (66%), allow for spontaneity than stick to a structured schedule (60%), and get up early instead of sleeping in (55%).
• Most Americans think that these activities should be banned while driving: send a text (88%); read a text (80%); make a phone call without using a hands-free device (71%); and search for directions (63%).
• Almost 63% of restaurant goers think it is rude for diners to talk, text and tweet on their cell phones while at the table. However 83% say it is okay to take photos of food and friends.

Read More

Parents’ Online Spending Habits

Recent research shows that Dad spends more than Mom for download music, games or movies from the Internet. See the chart below for details.

Male parents are also online with their children for more hours each week than moms. Among parents who own any type of online device, dads spent 4.5 hours on the Internet with their children, compared with 2.9 hours for moms.

A 2010 Yahoo! survey showed that fathers, versus childless men, make more purchase decisions in categories such as consumer packaged goods, personal care and apparel. However, 66% of dads say they felt ignored by child and baby product advertising and 57% felt alienated by those advertisements – even though 80% were either primary or shared decision-makers about such products.

Types of Online Content Paid for by U.S. Mom and Dad Internet Users, February 2011 (% of respondents)

Popular Car Colors

White is the most popular vehicle color in the world, followed by black and silver, according to the car-paint supplier PPG Industries.

In North America, white came in first, making up 20% of the 2011-model-year cars. Silver was second at 19%, followed by black (18%), gray (15%), red and blue (tied at 9%), naturals such as brown, tan and gold (7%), green (2%) and other colors (1%).

Results varied in Europe and Asia, though both continents had the same three color choices on top.

PPG also reported that 48% of car buyers make choices based on color, and 31% are willing to pay extra for a vehicle that expresses their personality through color.

Continued Popularity of Social Media Dominated by Facebook

According to Nielsen, social media now accounts for 22.5% of the time that Americans spend online, compared with 9.8% for online games and 7.6% for e-mail.

Facebook is Americans’ most used social media brand, spending 53.5 billion minutes on facebook.com from computers at home and work during May 2011. This is up 6% from 50.6 billion minutes in May 2010. Other popular social media sites include Blogger (723.8 million minutes); Tumblr (623.5 million minutes); Twitter (565.2 million minutes); and LinkedIn (325.7 million minutes).

Facebook reaches 70% of active Internet users in the U.S.; 62% of Facebook visitors are female.

Measuring Customer Engagement

Successful marketing goes beyond making the sale; it’s a much longer and involved process called customer engagement. Customer engagement includes the interactions, experiences and context that create and nurture enduring, profitable customer relationships.

Leading Metrics Used by U.S. Marketing Executives to Assess Customer Engagement, April 2010 (% of respondents)

Social Media and Brands

A majority of Americans (86%) have interacted with a company or brand online. Some 38% use social networks to do so, 16% use message boards, and 13% use blogs. This is compared to 62% who use websites and 62% who use email. The most common reason consumers are enticed to follow a company or brand via social media is to access incentives such as coupons, discounts and free products or services (77%).

Social media users follow an average of five companies or brands on Facebook and Twitter. One-third (33%) do not follow any, and 8% follow 10 or more.

Bullets

• Some 62% of affluent Americans (top 10% of households in terms of annual income) feel more comfortable shopping online if they can call someone directly for assistance. Some 76% have used a mobile devise to compare prices, and 21% have used such a device to research product information while shopping in a store.
• On average, 33% of college students spend six or more hours online via computer, cell phone, gaming console or other electronic device.
• Most U.S. college students say the Internet has made it easier to feel close to people, compared to 28% who say it has made it harder.

Read More

Websites Need Improvements

One goal of marketers is to effectively convert website visitors into buying prospects. However, 84% of U.S. B2B marketers say their ability to generate new sales leads using their website needs moderate to strong improvement. Other desired website improvements are listed in the following chart.

Ways Their Company Website Can Be Improved According to U.S. B2B Marketing and IT Professionals, May 2011 (% of respondents)

B2C and B2B Marketing Priorities

According to Focus Research, business-to-consumer (B2C) marketers are more likely to concentrate on improving client understanding and retention this year than their business-to-business (B2B) counterparts, who are placing a higher importance on filling the sales pipeline with leads.

The following chart shows the differences and similarities between B2B and B2C marketers’ efforts.

Highest Strategic Priorities of B2B and B2C Marketing Professionals Worldwide, May 2011 (% of respondents)

Emerging Majority Business Ownership Rising

There were 5.8 million emerging majority-owned businesses in 2007, the most recent year for which data is available. The number of emerging majority-owned businesses grew 45.6% between 2002 and 2007, compared an 18% increase in the number of U.S. businesses overall. Most of these emerging majority-owned businesses (5.0 million) did not have any employees besides the owner. The 0.8 million businesses with employees had a total of 5.9 million workers.

Bullets

• Twenty-five of the 100 highest paid U.S. CEOs earned more in 2010 than their companies paid in federal income tax, according to the Institute for Policy Studies. Many of these same companies spent more on political lobbying than they did on taxes.
• Almost one-third (31%) of office managers do not take any additional vacation days (aside from employer-provided vacation time) between Thanksgiving and New Years. Some 25% only take an extra day or two, while fewer than 25% take an additional week or more.
• Only 46% of business owners have considered a succession plan for when they retire, and of those, only 20% have identified who will replace them. Businesses with more than 50 employees (78%) than those with fewer employees (42%) are more likely to say a succession plan is important.

Read More

Public Transit

Some 69% of Americans say there are times when public transportation is more convenient than driving. The biggest motivators for using public transit are:

• High gas prices (29%)
• Convenience (29%)
• Avoiding traffic (10%)
• Environmental concerns (8%)
• Relaxing while traveling or getting things done (7%)
• Safer (4%)
• Because other people are using public transportation (1%)

Almost one-half (46%) of those with public transportation in their area say that local, state, and federal governments spend too little on public transportation, compared to only 11% who think government spending is too high.

Americans rank reduced congestion (28%) as the most valuable aspect of public transportation, followed by saves money (24%), protects the environment (13%), reduces stress (11%), supports the economy (9%), reduces dependence on foreign oil (9%), reduces travel time (4%), and other (3%).

Hospital Energy Management

A 2011 survey of U.S. hospitals (2011 Hospital Energy Management Survey) shows that a majority of organizations are not yet taking basic recommended steps such as performing regular energy audits, creating a strategic master energy plan, using commissioning of existing buildings or following the Green Guide for Health Care to monitor baseline energy performance. Below is a summary of survey findings:

1. Acute care hospitals are one of the biggest energy users, resulting in health care ranking second behind the food-service industry in total energy consumed per square foot among commercial buildings, according to the Department of Energy.
2. Most main hospital buildings – including those of 69% of the survey respondents – still are more than 20 years old. (The performance of energy-consuming systems degrades by as much as 30% in the first few years of operation, per the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.)
3. About 28% said they perform an energy audit in their acute care hospital at least annually, while another 25% said they do theirs every two to three years, results that were much like the 2006 survey. (Experts say the exact time between audits isn’t as important as doing them regularly and following up on the recommendations.)
4. Some 43% saw annual energy costs rise from the previous year, with the most common response (30%) being an increase of between one and five percent. However almost as many (40%) reported lower costs, likely derived from a combination of energy efficiency efforts and a reduction in rates in some areas.
5. At least 25% set an energy budget and performance targets, and monitor them annually (38%), and participate in Energy Star (29%, up from 14% in 2006).
6. Energy reduction strategies by at least 75% included preventive maintenance, light-emitting diode exit signs, and electronic ballast and energy-efficient lamps. Other efforts were buying Energy Star-certified products (55%), upgrading building control systems (53%) or implementing energy conservation programs (49%).
7. Energy saving strategies incorporated into health care renovation projects included using higher-efficiency HVAC equipment (51%) and retrocommissioning and/or reduced-lighting power density and occupancy controls (30%).
8. Two-thirds (66%) participate in a demand-response program, committing to run their emergency generators to alleviate load/stress on the grid.
9. Other energy-management strategies included HVAC/air handling improvements (37%), lighting system improvements (24%) and water heater, steam or heat recovery (13%).

Share of Energy Use by Appliances and Electronics Increases

Over the past three decades, the share of residential electricity used by appliances and electronics in U.S. homes almost doubled from 17% to 31%, rising from 1.77 quadrillion Btu (quads) to 3.25 quads. This rise has occurred while Federal energy efficiency standards were enacted on every major appliance, overall household energy consumption actually decreased from 10.58 quads to 10.55 quads, and energy use per household dropped 31%.

• The gains in appliance efficiencies were offset by a number of factors including:
• The number of U.S. households grew by 34.5 million from 1978 to 2009.
• Improved living standards resulted in more households buying and using major appliances.
• The share of households that have central air conditioning nearly tripled, from 23% in 1978 to 61% in 2009.
• The saturation, or percent of households with an appliance, of clothes washers increased from 74% to 82%
• The saturation of dishwashers increased from 35% to 59%
• In 1978, personal computers were expensive and not typically used by U.S. households. By 2009, 76% of U.S. homes had at least one computer and 35% had multiple computers.
• Most households had only one television in 1978. By 2009, the average household had 2.5 televisions.
• DVD players and Digital Video Recorders (DVR) did not exist in 1978. In 2009, 79% of homes had a DVD player, and 43% had a DVR. In addition, almost one-third of all households had at least four electronic devices, such as cell phones, plugged in and charging at home.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration

Bullets

• Most Americans (81%) say they would buy and wear clothing made from recycled materials.
• Despite rapid growth in recent years, solar power accounts for less than 1% of electricity use in the U.S. During 2010, the U.S. accounted for $1.6 billion of the world’s $29 billion market for solar panels.
• Ethanol from corn supplies 10% of U.S. car fuel.

Read More

Health Insurance Costs Rise Sharply

A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that the average annual premium for family coverage through an employer is $15,073 in 2011, an increase of 9% over the previous year. While the demand for health care appears to be growing relatively slowly, insurers and benefit consultants say prices for medical care continue to rise as prescription drug makers and hospitals charge more.

Over all, the cost of family coverage has about doubled since 2001, when premiums averaged $7,061, compared with only a 34% gain in wages over the same period.

The annual growth in premiums, according to the survey, had slowed in recent years to 5%, rising just 3% in 2010, in part due to the recession. After several years of double-digit increases, the moderate rise was a welcome change of pace.

Genetically Modified Foods Not Yet Labeled in U.S.

An estimated 80% of processed foods sold in the U.S. contain genetically modified organisms. However, GMO foods are not labeled as such even though 93% of Americans support mandatory labeling.

More than 40 countries around the world require labeling of foods that contain GMOs including Australia, Brazil, the European Union, Japan, Russian and China.

About one-third of Americans (35%) believe that GMO foods are safe to eat, with 52% saying they are unsafe, and an additional 13% saying they are unsure about them.

The following chart shows the disparity in image between GMO and organic foods. While only 5% of Americans say they’d be more likely to purchase a food labeled as genetically modified, 52% say they’d be more likely to purchase food that is labeled as having been raised organically.

Organic vs. GMO Foods

Source: ABCNEWS.com poll, June 2011

Hispanic Population Life Expectancy

The U.S. Hispanic population had the lowest median age (27.4 years) compared to other racial/ethnic groups in 2006 (the most recent data available). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this group will also live longer than other Americans as shown below.

Average Life Expectancy for American Men and Women, by Race/Ethnicity, 2010

Hospital Energy Management

A 2011 survey of U.S. hospitals (2011 Hospital Energy Management Survey) shows that a majority of organizations are not yet taking basic recommended steps such as performing regular energy audits, creating a strategic master energy plan, using commissioning of existing buildings or following the Green Guide for Health Care to monitor baseline energy performance. Below is a summary of survey findings:

1. Acute care hospitals are one of the biggest energy users, resulting in health care ranking second behind the food-service industry in total energy consumed per square foot among commercial buildings, according to the Department of Energy.
2. Most main hospital buildings – including those of 69% of the survey respondents – still are more than 20 years old. (The performance of energy-consuming systems degrades by as much as 30% in the first few years of operation, per the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.)
3. About 28% said they perform an energy audit in their acute care hospital at least annually, while another 25% said they do theirs every two to three years, results that were much like the 2006 survey. (Experts say the exact time between audits isn’t as important as doing them regularly and following up on the recommendations.)
4. Some 43% saw annual energy costs rise from the previous year, with the most common response (30%) being an increase of between one and five percent. However almost as many (40%) reported lower costs, likely derived from a combination of energy efficiency efforts and a reduction in rates in some areas.
5. At least 25% set an energy budget and performance targets, and monitor them annually (38%), and participate in Energy Star (29%, up from 14% in 2006).
6. Energy reduction strategies by at least 75% included preventive maintenance, light-emitting diode exit signs, and electronic ballast and energy-efficient lamps. Other efforts were buying Energy Star-certified products (55%), upgrading building control systems (53%) or implementing energy conservation programs (49%).
7. Energy saving strategies incorporated into health care renovation projects included using higher-efficiency HVAC equipment (51%) and retrocommissioning and/or reduced-lighting power density and occupancy controls (30%).
8. Two-thirds (66%) participate in a demand-response program, committing to run their emergency generators to alleviate load/stress on the grid.
9. Other energy-management strategies included HVAC/air handling improvements (37%), lighting system improvements (24%) and water heater, steam or heat recovery (13%).

Bullets

• Americans increased their cooking and eating of ethnic dishes by 29% in 2010 over 2009. The quickest growing cuisines are from South America, Japan and Korea.
• Men who recently became fathers say they have trouble sticking to an exercise routine (45%) and maintaining friendships (38%) since having children.
• Some 77% of consumers say they would like to see lower-calorie menu options at restaurants. In addition, consumers want to know about menu items that accommodate allergies (53%), low-sodium items (52%), ingredient lists (51%), gluten-free items (27%), and peanut- and nut-free items (22%).

Read More

The upcoming AMA Houston SIG event will cover best practices for making your nonprofit marketing efforts as effective as possible on a limited budget.

Read more and register

Marketer of the Year Reception and Awards Ceremony:
The 41 Best of Category winners will be honored at the Marketer of the Year event during which the Marketer of the Year is announced.

When: March 12, 2012, 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Where: Alley Theatre
Register Now: http://www.regonline.com/2011amahoustonMOTY

Be inspired by national keynote speaker Richard La world-renowned author and marketing guru at MarketingEDGE 2012.

Keynote Speaker: David Miller - Partner and Director of Strategy at Stoke – a Seattle-based brand management and design consultancy