- Brian Morrissey

NEW YORK The drive to sustainability is having a broad effect on consumers, with three in four defining themselves as "green," according to a new study.
 
According to the survey, the green market has grown far beyond its roots as a niche, with 77 percent of consumers identifying themselves as "green." Over half (57 percent) said they made a green purchase decision in the past six months.
 
Yahoo commissioned the survey, which polled 1,500 people age 18-54 in person in Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland, Ore. Respondents were recruited online.
 
While it found broad support for green, consumers unsurprisingly varied in their commitment to the cause. Yahoo pegs about 23 percent of consumers as "deeply committed." A larger segment, about 24 percent, finds green "trendy," Yahoo concludes, particularly young consumers 18-34.
 
It found that currently green consumers are most likely to take sustainability into account when buying cleaning and personal care products. Larger purchase decisions, such as a car, will soon be highly influenced by green concerns, the Yahoo study found: 71 percent said they are interested in buying an environmentally sound auto in the future.
 
In making decisions, green consumers find information in both traditional and online media. Respondents nearly evenly split between the two, with 72 percent saying they get information in traditional media and 68 percent citing online. When it comes to the Web, the Yahoo! study found portals have continued staying power as an information provider, with 51 percent citing it as a green information source. Search came in second at 44 percent.
 
Two sources that fared much worse: company Web sites, which only 20 percent turned to, and blogs at 21 percent.