April 18th

By Mutt Mulligan

{INFOGRAPHIC} Poll: Americans love their living landscapes

A new nationwide online research study confirms what TurfMutt has known all along. Americans love their yards and enjoy nurturing them! See the findings in this new infographic.

The research, conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI), surveyed 1,818 adults. It found that 91% of Americans have a yard. Nearly 9 in 10 say it is important to have a living landscape at their home and to have grass in their yard (86%).

More than two-thirds of those surveyed (69%) enjoy taking care of their yards. Men get more enjoyment (72%) out of taking care of their yards than women (66%). Additionally, people in the South enjoy taking care of their yards the most (74% in the South, vs. 68% in the Midwest, 66% in the Northeast, and 63% in the West).

So what living landscapes do people put in their yards? Survey respondents said:

• grass (86%),
• trees/shrubs/bushes (80%),
• gardens (55%),
• hard pavers, cement, brick, patio (51%),
• landscaping rocks or gravel (47%),
• mulch (43%), and
• groundcover (32%).

Of those with grass in their yard, 89% believe having grass in their yard is good for the environment. This doesn’t surprise TurfMutt who knows that grass is an environmental superhero! It produces oxygen, sequesters carbon, reduces noise, cleanses rainwater, and reduces the urban heat island effect. (Learn more about the superpowers in your own backyard!)

What are the differences between men and women with regards to attitudes toward living landscapes? What factor does age play in all of this? Find out by reading the new infographic. Learn more about the benefits of living landscapes and get tips on how to properly care for them here.