A substantial majority of Americans questioned in a recent survey said that when deciding from which manufacturers to purchase products, they consider sustainable production issues, including product and employee safety, and environmental issues as the most important attributes.

The survey, based on phone interviews with more than 2,000 adult consumers, also indicated that 47% of consumers believe American manufacturers are less competitive than they were 10 years ago, up from 42% a year ago. And 79% of respondents said they would favor local, state, and federal government incentives to manufacturers to encourage investments in plant automation and other technologies that would make them more competitive.

The survey, conducted between Jan. 15 and Jan. 19, 2009 by Opinion Research Corp., was sponsored by Rockwell Automation.

Eighty percent of those surveyed said they consider manufacturers’ use of natural resources, such as water, very important when selecting a manufacturer. That compared with 81% of respondents calling use of natural resources very important a year ago.

Seventy-one percent of respondents said they consider manufacturers’ waste production and environmental impact very important.

Eighty-six percent said they consider product safety and quality very important, while 84% said they consider worker safety very important.

The largest group of survey respondents — 69% — said manufacturers need to invest in automation technology in order to use energy, water, and other resources more efficiently. Another 63% said manufacturers need to invest in automation technology in order to minimize waste and other environmental impacts. Sixty-four percent said automation investments are needed to help manufacturers remain competitive and grow.

Forty-two percent of respondents said they believe American companies are behind manufacturers in other countries when it comes to technology and automation utilization. That figure was up from 39% who said so last year.