Which is the throwaway generation?

BayBuzz confesses to being surprised at the findings of this latest survey from Consumer NZ.

They report that 40% of New Zealanders ages 18-44 say they’ve had a faulty appliance repaired in the past 12 months, whereas only 18% of those over 45 years old have done so.

‘Wait a minute’, we thought, thinking of our recent article on Napier’s Faraday Centre, ‘aren’t older folks supposed to be more frugal, cost conscious and indeed have tinkering in their blood?’ And what about all those Burt Munro’s? 

Are you surprised by this finding?

Surprise aside, it’s far better news than if the reverse were reported! Surely it’s a welcome sign that younger generations might have a stronger and broader aversion to waste in general, including stuff you can’t really either ‘throw away’ or repair, like plastic products.

Unfortunately, the survey also found that one-in-three consumers report that finding somewhere to get a repair was an obstacle. “When consumers want to get their products repaired, many hit a brick wall. If repair isn’t a convenient and cost-effective option, appliances that just need a simple fix get thrown away,” says Paul Smith, Consumer NZ product test manager.