We all support our local suppliers… don’t we? Across the main surveys three statements about purchasing were presented to all respondents. They were asked to say how strongly they agreed or disagreed with each using a five-point scale (ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree). The findings are presented in Figure 8.

Around three-quarters (73%) of respondents agreed that they made an effort to buy things from local retailers and suppliers, while just 11% of respondents disagreed.

Half (50%) agreed that newer products are more environmentally-friendly compared with 15% who disagreed. Opinion was more divided when looking at whether respondents would be prepared to pay more for environmentally-friendly products. Just under half (46%) agreed that they would be prepared to pay more for environmentally-friendly products, while just under a third (31%) disagreed with this. There is no statistically significant difference between the 2007 and 2009 results – in 2007, 44% agreed with the statement while 29% disagreed with it.