I don’t envy the purveyors of green products these days. With many of their offerings sporting higher price tags than competing, ostensibly less eco-friendly products, they now have to battle the New Austerity along with general perceptions that green claims are not always what they seem to be.

Even younger consumers, who in theory are leading the eco-awareness charge, aren’t immune to waffling when it comes time to put their money where their mouth is. A study of Millennials from Generate Insight, an internal research division of Generate, a Santa Monica, Calif., media company, found that while these consumers are well-educated on green topics, they are also confused about green products and daunted by their inability to make a difference through the products they buy.

The survey of 13-29-year-olds was designed to look at how Millennials perceive the green movement and brands’ attempts to be green. The research also uncovered a not surprising price sensitivity among the youngest Millennials (those 13-17). While 76 percent of respondents ages 13-29 feel it’s very important or important for brands to participate in the green movement, 71 percent of Millennial teens surveyed say if they had to choose between a less-expensive product or one that “gave back” to the environment, they would pick the cheaper one.

No matter their age, most of the Millennials surveyed expressed confusion over the higher cost of green products. Other barriers to buying green include products that require too much effort to use, are too time-consuming, not convenient, confusing or hard to understand. Family members who are not involved in, supportive of or knowledgeable about living green also cause problems.

The top words/feelings that Millennials associate with the green movement are: responsible, smart, cool, reality, refreshing, happy, trendy, new. Other terms include: fear, time-consuming, skeptical, annoying.

Additional findings from the survey, as taken from the company’s press materials, include:

•  74 percent of Millennials believe they can make a difference in helping the planet, but the number decreases significantly among the 13-17-year-olds, only 48 percent of whom feel they can make a difference because the problems are too huge for them to move the needle.

•  In terms of contributing most to living green, 87 percent of Millennials recycle; 84 percent turn off lights when not in use; 80 percent reduce water use; and 73 percent use energy-efficient light bulbs.

•  The top three biggest hurdles this generation faces when embracing the green movement are cost (41 percent), proof that they’re making a difference (24 percent) and ease of use (12 percent).

•  The segment of Millennials with the highest planned participation rate in an Earth Day event was 18-21-year-olds (65 percent).

•  53 percent of Millennials state that they know a lot about the green movement but are “always willing to learn more.”

•  54 percent of Millennials state that they care about the environment and are interested to get more involved.

•  37 percent of Millennials want to be more green but just don’t know how to do it.

•  79 percent of Millennials say that the Internet educates them on environmental issues, while 85 percent of Millennials ages 13-17 state that school is their main source for eco-education.