Survey Shows Wood Popular

which we live were coordinated with lumber industry organizations so they would be of the greatest possible value to the industry. Assisting in the preparation of these questions were the National Lumber Manufacturers Association and members of the lumber industry's National Wood Promotion Committee.

To provide information for the industry's National Wood Promotion Program, impressions were elicited on the charac' teristics of wood that are stressed in the National Lumber Manufacturers Association's National Wood Promotion Program. These characteristics are: beauty, performance, versatility, comfort, economy, abundance, and strength.

The public's reaction to the questions indicates that wood far outclasses the other three materials in emotional appeal or impact.

The guestions asked showing this con' clusion are:

What material comes to mind first when the words "warm and friendly'o are men' tioned?

What material comes to mind when the word toattractive" is mentioned?

What building material is "always in style?o'

To the question on the material that is 'owarm and friendly," 80 per cent of the respondents said wood. This was 72 per cent more mentions than the next-most' often mentioned material received. Over 90 per cent of this group attended college, earn more than $7,000 annually, and hold professional or managerial positions, in' dicating that upper income and college educated people are particularly enthusias' tic about wood on this point.

On the question of ttattractiveness," 36 per cent of men and women questioned named wood-again the material receiving the most mentions. [n the group that se' lected wood,, the largest Percentage were cotrlege graduates, held professional or managerial jobso and were in the upper in. come bracket.

When it comes to the material that is "always in style,o' 62 per cent of the people questioned gave wood.the nodn and by a large plurality-4S per cent more than the material receiving the next-most mentions. Agrin, the men and women naming wood also had the highest percentage of college educated, professional or managerial jobholders, and the highest incomes.

If the responses of this representative group oI Americans are projected over the total U.S. population of 179 million. tle replies show that 143 million Americans think wood is the most warm and friendly of the four building materials; 64 million people feel that wood is the most attractive; and 110 million would select wood as the material that is always in style.

The number of men and women ques. tioned was in proportion to the population distribution, with the women having a slight edge. The surveying organization classed the people responding to these three qustions as "well informed.ot

Other Questions

Another question included in the survey inquired as to which of the materials first came fto mind when the word "plentiful" wad mentigned. Forty.four per cent of the respondents selected wood. The mateiial considered the most plentiful after wood recorded a score of 25 per cent.

Other questions asked in the survey included the followine:

IVhich of the four materials comes to mind when the word "expensive" is inerir tioned? Wood was considered the second least expensive by the men and women l, responding. The material receiving the; least mentions; and thus considered leaet, expensivg was plastic, which is probably the most limited of the materials in con. ;r struction applications. t

Wood was a close second choice in answer to the question of the material that .l "has many uses,o' with a gcore of 34 per .j; cent. The first choice was plastic, which ,,i1 received 37 per cent of the mentions. Steel i,ii

(Continunil on Page 82)