New Research

1. 28 Apr 2009

   Low Carbon Lifestyles: Still Searching for Gladwell’s Tipping Point

   New research by Icaro Consulting, testing reactions to a range of low carbon propositions, shows the British public interested but looking for support. The research, marking a shift away from the focus on general attitudes, looks at 12 options including technologies like solar panels, financial support packages like ‘green’ loans, in-home smart meters, and real time variable electricity pricing. A representative sample of 1,000 British adults aged 18-64 were interviewed online by Ipsos MORI. Download a summary of the findings

In Focus: Current Projects:

1. 17 Nov 2009

   Understanding Consumers’ Attitudes to "Sustainable Community Infrastructure", UK Green Building Council

   New research, undertaken by Icaro Consulting on behalf of the UK Green Building and funded by the NHBC, finds consumers positive towards propositions for community heating, water, ICT and waste services. The research, involving an online survey with 1,074 British households alongside in depth discussion groups, finds that rainwater harvesting stands out with particular appeal to households. While there is no discernable evidence of any widespread dislike to community systems, households do, however, have a series of questions and concerns that need to be answered. In particular, attention focuses on a series of practical issues ranging from what happens when the system breaks down to what rules exist to prevent 'free riders' and, in existing communities, how much disruption would be involved. Download the Summary Report here

2. 28 Sep 2009

   Low Carbon Communities Challenge, DECC

   Icaro Consulting is supporting the development and delivery of DECC’s Low Carbon Communities Challenge (LCCC), a two-year programme to provide financial and advisory support to 20 'test-bed' communities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that are seeking to cut carbon emissions. The Challenge will fund integrated community-led approaches, involving technological solutions alongside community and household-level behaviour change, and will be delivered via new collaborations between local public, private and third sector organisations. Further details about The Challenge, launched by Ed Miliband on the 28th September, are available on the LCCC website.

3. 01 Jun 2009

   Consumer Attitudes to Green Claims in Advertising, Consumer Focus

   Icaro Consulting undertook a detailed programme of quantitative and qualitative research to understand consumers' perceptions of green claims in advertising. The findings demonstrate that two thirds of consumers say they are not sure how to tell if claims made by companies advertising green products are true. In response, there is a strong demand for green information that is clear, credible, and which allows them to make meaningful, 'like for like' comparisons between products and services. For example, elements of a green claim that gave consumers the most confidence included a common labelling scheme (like the A-G energy efficiency rating), a third party endorsement from a recognised organisations (like the Fairtrade label), and/or claims made by brands that have a strong commitment to environmental leadership. More details are available on the Consumer Focus website.

4. 28 Apr 2009

   The Big Energy Shift, DECC

   Icaro Consulting, working with Ipsos MORI, has undertaken a major piece of deliberative work on behalf of the Department of Energy & Climate Change to explore the implications, from the perspective of the public, of shifting towards a low carbon economy. A total of 9 Citizens’ Forums were established around the country, each involving 30 members of the public. The forums met several times over the course of a month to hear from technical and policy experts, consider low carbon technologies for their home and community, and visit low carbon exemplars to see low carbon homes ‘for real’. For more information, including community profiles and video extracts, see the Big Energy Shift website.

In Focus: Thinking:

1. 28 April 2009

   Can Politicians save the planet and get re-elected?

   The green agenda has long presented politicians with a dilemma. With the political system geared up to a four or five year cycle and based on the mindset, to varying degrees, of neoclassical economics, it is not altogether surprising that notions like environmental limits to growth, global ecosystem health and intergenerational equity all struggle to gain traction. Click to read more