Two in three people now say they are willing to reduce their consumption by half to avoid environmental damage and climate change, most especially those who have children at home, according to our new global consumer survey in November 2, 2022.
“Two in Three People are Prepared to Halve Their Consumption to Help Save the Planet”
November 2, 2022: Two in three people now say they are willing to reduce their consumption by half to avoid environmental damage and climate change, especially those who have worried children at home, according to a new global consumer survey.
The research shows that global concern about climate change is at an all-time high and that a majority of people living with children under the age of 18 say their children are very worried about environmental problems and climate change. People living in these households are more likely than the average to have a strong desire to live sustainably and are much more likely to have made major changes to do so.
The cost-of-living crisis is also affecting consumers’ willingness to pay for more purposeful products and brands. Amid widespread increases in daily expenses, consumers have become less likely to say they are willing to pay more for products or brands that contribute positively to society or the environment, especially in Europe. As many as three in four people around the world agree that environmentally responsible products have become more expensive in the past year. The findings from the 2022 Healthy & Sustainable Living research study by global insights and advisory consultancy GlobeScan and partners surveyed almost 30,000 people across 31 markets. This study has been tracking consumer attitudes and behaviors around living healthier and more sustainable lifestyles since 2019.
The research also shows that there is widespread desire among consumers to change their behaviors to be healthier and more sustainable, but the gap between desire and action remains persistent. Consumers with low purchasing power, those who are younger, and consumers in emerging markets experience the largest gaps between aspirations and action.
Despite recent discussions about greenwashing, the study reveals that consumers remain interested in sustainability marketing communications, and most of those who have heard or read about a company’s sustainability messaging say that they trust these communications
Key findings include:
- Concern about climate change and environmental issues continues to grow as 65 percent of people now say climate change is “very serious,” up from 48 percent in 2003 among 17 tracked markets.
Sixty-three percent of people living with children under the age of 18 say their children are
very worried about environmental problems and climate change. - Forty percent of people across the world say that they would not want to have children
because of climate change. - Sixty-eight percent at least somewhat agree that they would be willing to reduce their
consumption by half to avoid environmental damage and climate change, especially those
with worried children at home (85%). - Those living with children under the age of 18 who say their children are very worried about
environmental problems and climate change are more likely than average to have a strong
desire to live sustainably (66%) and are much more likely to have made major changes
recently to do so (42%). - Although half (50%) say they would like to change their lifestyle “a great deal” to be more
environmentally friendly, only 26 percent claim to have made “major changes” in the past
year to reduce their impact. - Seventy-five percent of consumers agree that environmentally responsible products have
become more expensive in the past 12 months. - Fifty-five percent of consumers across 23 markets tracked between 2019 and 2022 now say
they at least “somewhat agree” they would be willing to pay more for products or brands
that work to improve society and the environment, down from 58 percent in 2021 and 2020.
Willingness to pay more has declined the most in Australia, Canada, Germany, Indonesia,
Italy, Nigeria, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. - Consumers trust sustainability marketing communications. Eight in ten people who have
heard or read about a company’s sustainability messaging trust the communications
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