For the second year in a row, Canada has placed second-worst among 17 countries on an international ranking of consumer behaviours that have an impact on the environment.

In a report released Wednesday, the National Geographic Society and polling firm GlobeScan surveyed 1,000 people in each of 17 countries on their consumption habits. It gave each country a "Greendex" score out of 100 after determining the impact of the reported behaviours on indicators like greenhouse gas production and energy consumption.

The top-scoring consumers of 2009 were found in the developing economies of India, Brazil and China. India placed first overall with a total score of 59.5, up from 58 last year. Brazil was second with a score of 57.3, down from 58.6. China scored 56.7, up from 55.2. The scores for 13 of the 14 countries analyzed in the same survey last year — Brazil being the exception — were up, buoyed largely by improvements to housing.

Despite the 16th-place showing, Canadians' score increased to 47.5 from 46.3 compared to 2008. A seven-point increase in Canada's housing score offset a three-point loss in the transportation score and little change in the food and consumption categories. U.S. consumers placed last overall.

"The results of the index correlate quite strongly with energy consumption per person, so we know we're on the right track," Lloyd Hetherington, CEO of GlobeScan, told CBC News.

Consumers answered questions that measured their behaviour in the areas of housing, transportation, food and consumption of goods. After consulting with environmental scientists, housing and transportation were weighted heavier than food and goods consumption in formulating the overall score, said GlobeScan's Eric Whan.

"We had no way of quantifying exactly how much to weigh [each factor]," he said.

Weightings may change in the future, he said, particularly on food as more research on its environmental impact emerges.

Large differences in housing

Canadians lost points due to their preference for car ownership and large houses, compared to other surveyed countries, the report said. Eighty-six per cent of Canadian respondents owned a car or truck (compared to 74 per cent across all surveyed countries) and more than half of Canadian homes have more than seven rooms — well above the 19 per cent average of surveyed nations.

Developing countries scored higher on the housing measure, the report said, as respondents were likelier to have smaller homes populated by more people. In many cases, homes in those countries don't require heating, which is necessary in Canada.

The study did not weigh institutional policies in its score. Russia, which placed eighth overall but had the highest score on the transportation index, "wouldn't be at the top if government hadn't decided that public transportation was a priority," said Hetherington.

"When we look at consumer behaviour, very often we're seeing what has been made an opportunity," he said.

The inverse of that rule also holds true, he said — in North America, there aren't a lot of alternatives to cars, so people are driving more.

In Canada, 17 per cent of respondents reported using public transit once or more a week. Forty-one per cent said they never use transit. Seventy-five per cent of Russian consumers, on the other hand, reported using transit once or more a week.

"To me the findings are a bit of a wake up call to Canadians," said Whan.

The report noted that a majority of Canadians feel at least somewhat empowered, with 55 per cent disagreeing that an individual can do little about the environment. Fifty-one per cent reported that they are trying hard to reduce their negative environmental impact.

Canadian rates of recycling are above average, with 78 per cent saying they do so often. But of those surveyed, Canadians are among the most likely to own motorized lawn equipment and dishwashers, which further dragged down their score.

Effects of downturn

The global financial slowdown had an impact on consumer attitudes, with 58 per cent of Canadians citing the economy as the most important national issue compared with only three per cent naming the environment.

In 2008, 15 per cent of Canadians said that economic problems were their most important national issue, while the environment was mentioned by 16 per cent.

The report notes that many respondents cited cost and economic concerns when it came to reducing consumption. Thrift prompted by financial uncertainty may have boosted scores, the report says.

"We hope the green behaviours that consumers are adopting now to cut costs will become part of their permanent lifestyles and that environmental concerns will become increasingly important for consumers around the globe."

The poll was conducted online, which the report acknowledges "cannot be thoroughly representative of a country's population." But Hetherington said respondents were selected in a manner that represented a wide range of consumer demographics.

The margin of error per country is approximately 3.1 per cent, 95 times out of a hundred.