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In this era, where sustainability is of utmost importance, more Americans are keeping companies accountable to helping the Earth through corporate responsibility programs and thoughtful business practices.  Consumers are also holding themselves to a higher standard of sustainability as the new ‘alternative straw’ movement is sweeping the nation. 

We see more Americans are getting behind the alternative straw movement but how many of us are actually using this sustainable sipware? Ever since that sad turtle video in 2015 Americans have been hesitant to pickup plastic straws resulting in cities like St. Pete in Florida outright banning them. 

So, to better understand the habits of Americans when it comes to sustainability and corporate responsibility we conducted a 1,000 person study to find out the buying habits of consumers and their thoughts on the plastic straw movement. 

The Last Straw | American’s attitudes and actions toward sustainable sipware.

In an exclusive, new 1,000 person study by Shuckable, we found that about 2 in 3 Americans believe in using sustainable sipware. Two out of three respondents say they fully support the shift in use of plastic to paper and/or metal straws, with two fifths of them polling that they are indifferent. 

Men and women polled almost identically when asked whether they use plastic straws, with 31.06% of men and 31.16% of women saying they use plastic straws. Men and women polled similarly in each category of this question such that they fully support, are indifferent, or do not support almost identically. 

Interestingly, of the respondents who said they fully support the shift in use of plastic to paper and/or metal straws, 52.9% said they actually use plastic straws, while 47.06% said that they refuse to use plastic straws. This is interesting because although 68.87% of respondents said they fully support the shift in the use of plastic to paper and/or metal straws, a little less than half of them actually reported that they refuse to use plastic straws at 47%. 

This means that roughly half of respondents who said they fully support the shift in use of plastic to paper and/or metal straws also say they refuse to use plastic straws. Our survey also reveals that respondents from California, Florida, Indiana, and Texas said they refuse to use plastic straws more than respondents from any other states, at 10%, 8.5%, 9.15%, and 6.1% respectively. 

Key takeaways: Roughly two thirds of respondents use plastic straws (62.22%), whereas a little over a third refuse to use plastic straws (37.78%). About half of respondents (47%) who said they fully support the shift in the use of plastic to paper and/or metal straws say they also refuse to use plastic straws. The vast majority of respondents that fully support the shift to paper and/or metal straws are from the Millennial age group. 

Buying For A Cause | Most millennials buy from those who support the environment.

Mindfulness no longer just applies to health and wellness, now it’s a must for corporate culture.

81.69% of respondents say they like to buy products knowing some of the proceeds go to a good cause, while 18.31% say that it doesn’t matter to them whether the proceeds of their purchase go to a good cause. 

Key takeaway: Overall, the vast majority of respondents say that they like to buy products knowing some of the proceeds go to a good cause. Very few say that it doesn’t matter where the proceeds of their purchase goes.

Does It Pay To Give Back? | Will a company’s promise to give back impact your decision to buy

Women care slightly more about whether a company promises to give back to a specific cause, with 44% of female respondents polling that a promise to give back to a cause has an impact on their decision to buy products from a company. Interestingly, respondents in the $25,001-$75,000 income bracket are impacted the most by a company’s promise to give back to a specific cause with 42.75%.

Key takeaway: A company’s promise to give back to a specific impacts the Millennial age group’s buying decisions more than any other group of respondents who took our survey. 

Which states refuse to use plastic straws? | Map representing the percentage of U.S. citizens that refuse to use plastic straws (darker the state, the more respondents said they refuse to use plastic straws)

Key takeaway: Respondents from California, Florida, Indiana, and Texas said they refuse to use plastic straws more than respondents from any other states, at 10%, 8.5%, 9.15%, and 6.1% respectively.

Methodology

We questioned over 1,000 people across the United States about their attitudes and actions when it comes to the environment and corporate responsibility. After comparing these answers against one another, we were able to determine their thoughts and actions in the anti-plastic straw movement and their purchasing preferences.

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