A Third of Sustainability Experts Identifying as Minorities Have Experienced Discrimination in Their Careers % of Respondents Identifying as Minority Group Who Have Experienced Discrimination in Sustainability (n=93), 2021 Among sustainability professionals who identify as a member of a minority group,* more than one-third say discrimination has negatively affected their career in sustainability. In a recent survey of 496 sustainability experts in 75 countries, only 12 percent say they are part of a minority racial or ethnic group, and even … “Insight of the Week: A Third of Sustainability Experts Identifying as Minorities Have Experienced Discrimination in Their Careers”
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Keep up to date with our latest news, webinars, and reports.
A Third of Female Sustainability Professionals Have Experienced Discrimination in Their Careers % of Respondents Not Identifying as Male Who Have Experienced Discrimination in Sustainability (n=161), 2021 In GlobeScan and The SustainAbility Institute by ERM‘s recent survey of 496 sustainability experts in 75 countries, only 39 percent identify as female, suggesting the sustainability field remains male-dominated overall. The gender gap narrows to about 50-50 in corporate roles and among experts in North America. Around the world, newcomers to the profession … “Insight of the Week: A Third of Female Sustainability Professionals Have Experienced Discrimination in Their Careers”
Four Key Drivers of Inequality in the Coming Years Major Trends, 2021 Rising inequality is a defining challenge of our time and current approaches to addressing it are perceived to be highly insufficient. A multi-stakeholder research project identified four mega-trends (health, future of work, social divisions, and climate change) both as drivers and as possible areas for solutions to respond to this complex challenge. These wider cross-cutting trends provide a great starting point for identifying pathways to effective action in … “Insight of the Week: Four Key Drivers of Inequality in the Coming Years”
Circular Economy, Food Systems, and Biodiversity Are Key Focus Areas for the EU Green Deal Priority vs Progress, Expert Stakeholders, 2021 Stakeholders rated a range of sustainability issues on two dimensions – level of priority and progress made. Two issues – clean energy and climate – are areas where priorities and progress are both viewed as being strong. Circularity, food systems, and nature are all issues where priorities are high, but where progress is seen to be weak. These areas … “Insight of the Week: Circular Economy, Food Systems, and Biodiversity Are Key Focus Areas for the EU Green Deal”
High Concern about Climate Change Persists During the COVID-19 Pandemic Seriousness of Climate Change and Global Warming, “Very Serious,” Average of 17 Markets,* 2003–2020 Even with parallel worries about COVID-19 and the economy, environmental issues are still highly concerning for people around the world. Across 17 markets surveyed over the past two decades, a majority continue to think of a range of environmental issues as being “very serious.” Concern about climate change has grown dramatically since 2014 and continues to … “Insight of the Week: High Concern about Climate Change Persists During the COVID-19 Pandemic”
Strong Support for Government Efforts to Reduce Future Pandemics through Ending Deforestation Consumers in China, Myanmar, Thailand, the U.S., and Vietnam, 2021 As human activities such as deforestation increase the risk of disease transfer between animals and humans, an overwhelming majority of people in China, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and the U.S. support government action to curb this destructive practice. Identifying and capitalizing on public support for measures helps drive policy change. Given the strong support for preserving forests, there is … “Insight of the Week: Strong Support for Government Efforts to Reduce Future Pandemics through Ending Deforestation”
People in Most Countries Say Their Governments Are Doing a Poor Job of Protecting Nature and Wildlife Performance of National Government on Protecting Nature and Wildlife, Net Performance,* by Country, 2020 National governments are widely seen as being poor performers when it comes to protecting the natural world. Out of 27 countries and territories surveyed, only those in Asia and Saudi Arabia rate government mostly positively. Saudi Arabian, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Indian respondents rate their governments positively on protecting nature … “Insight of the Week: People in Most Countries Say Their Governments Are Doing a Poor Job of Protecting Nature and Wildlife”
Significant Drop in Ivory Consumption Shows Potency of Governmental Action and Social Marketing Ivory Purchase in Past 12 Months, Chinese Consumers, 2017–2020 The ivory ban implemented in 2018 led to a significant drop in ivory purchase in China, which declined 17 percentage points from 2017. In the past year, just 12 percent of Chinese consumers claim to have purchased ivory. These latest declines are likely the result of effective public campaigns to end ivory purchases. This example highlights the impact … “Insight of the Week: Significant Drop in Ivory Consumption Shows Potency of Governmental Action and Social Marketing”
Young Consumers Are More Willing to Engage in the Sharing Economy and Circular Behaviors “Extremely” and “Very Interested,” by Age, Average of 27 Countries, 2020 Globally, younger people are consistently more interested in circular behaviors like using returnable containers for purchases or renting and sharing items. Those over 30 years old are less likely to favor the shared economy model. Consumers across age groups are interested in actions that support circular behavior. They are most interested in activities where retailers help … “Insight of the Week: Young Consumers Are More Willing to Engage in the Sharing Economy and Circular Behaviors”
Germany and Scandinavian Countries Seen as Most Likely to Implement the European Green Deal Countries Most Likely vs Least Likely To Do Their Fair Share to Implement the European Green Deal, Total Mentions, Expert Stakeholders, Globally, 2020/21 When asked which countries are most likely to do their fair share to implement the European Green Deal, more than half of sustainability experts surveyed point to Germany and Scandinavian countries. In contrast, Poland and Hungary are among the least likely contributors, followed … “Insight of the Week: Germany and Scandinavian Countries Seen as Most Likely to Implement the European Green Deal”
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Large Companies and Governments Are Seen to Be Performing Poorly in Protecting Nature and Wildlife Performance of Actors Protecting Nature and Wildlife, Net Performance,* Average of 27 Countries, 2020 In all 27 countries and territories surveyed, respondents rate “people like me” positively, with a net performance score of +34 on protecting nature and wildlife. Performance of the UN is also seen as being largely positive. In contrast, government and especially business have negative net rating scores. In Europe and North … “Insight of the Week: Large Companies and Governments Are Seen to Be Performing Poorly in Protecting Nature and Wildlife”
Sustainability Experts Point to Climate Action as the Most Urgent of the Sustainable Development Goals Most Urgent Goal, Total Mentions, All Respondents (%), 2019–2021 Sustainability experts continue to call out Climate Action as the SDG requiring the most urgent action, followed by Life on Land, Reduced Inequalities, and Responsible Consumption and Production. Reduced Inequalities, Quality Education, Zero Hunger, and Good Health have all increased in perceived urgency compared to 2019. While the Global Goals are highly interrelated, it is clear … “Insight of the Week: Sustainability Experts Point to Climate Action as the Most Urgent of the Sustainable Development Goals”
A Majority of Sustainability Experts Believe the Pandemic Has Slowed Progress on the SDGs Impact of the Pandemic on the Sustainable Development Goals, % of Sustainability Experts, 2021 Over half of sustainability experts feel that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially among academics and NGO leaders. Conversely, more than a third of experts feel that the pandemic has accelerated progress on the SDGs. This implies added pressure on the … “Insight of the Week: A Majority of Sustainability Experts Believe the Pandemic Has Slowed Progress on the SDGs”
Consumers Rate Health, Food, and Tech Sectors Highest on Social Responsibility Performance of Sectors in Fulfilling Their Responsibilities to Society, Net Performance,* Average of 27 Countries, 2020 There is great variability in the reputation of sectors across the economy. Sectors providing essential services are rated particularly highly: Healthcare companies are rated the highest while pharmaceutical companies are a few ranks behind. Agriculture/farming, food, technology, and consumer goods sectors have all been instrumental in meeting essential needs during COVID-19. This highlights a … “Insight of the Week: Consumers Rate Health, Food, and Tech Sectors Highest on Social Responsibility”
Experts Rate Society’s Performance Poorly in Achieving the SDGs, Especially Goal #10 Society’s Performance on the Sustainable Development Goals % of Experts, 2021 Experts continue to rate progress on each individual SDG as mostly negative, with majorities rating progress as poor on ten of the 17 Goals. Progress on Reduced Inequalities, Life on Land, and Life Below Water is rated especially negatively. The Goals with the most positive progress include Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure and Partnerships for the Goals. This assessment … “Insight of the Week: Experts Rate Society’s Performance Poorly in Achieving the SDGs, Especially Goal #10”
Worries About Water Strongest in the South Seriousness of Water Shortages, “Very Serious,” by Country, 2020 Although people in all 27 markets surveyed tend to be at least somewhat concerned about fresh water shortages, these concerns are much more intense among those living in Southern Europe, Latin America, and Africa and the Middle East. In contrast, Asian respondents tend to be the least worried about a lack of fresh water. Strong concern about water cuts across all demographic groups, with … “Insight of the Week: Worries About Water Strongest in the South”
Corporate Responsibility is Highly Motivating for Employees The More Responsible My Company Is, the More Motivated I Am, “Strongly Agree” and “Somewhat Agree,” Average of 19 Countries,* 2002–2020, Subsample: Corporate Employees** More than ever, corporate responsibility is having an impact on employees’ motivation and loyalty. For employees at large companies, over nine in ten say they feel more motivated and more loyal because of their employers’ efforts to be socially and environmentally responsible. This is especially high among: Younger generations Those with … “Insight of the Week: Corporate Responsibility is Highly Motivating for Employees”
One in Seven in Gen Z Have Protested to Make a Difference Protested Publicly to Make a Difference on Issues By Generation, Average of 27 Countries, 2020 Issues engagement and demographics both suggest that we are increasingly moving into an age of activism, where younger generations are more likely to use their voices to affect change. Fifteen percent of those belonging to Gen Z say they have protested publicly at events and rallies in the past year to make a … “Insight of the Week: One in Seven in Gen Z Have Protested to Make a Difference”
Women Are Significantly More Likely Than Men to Use Their Buying Power to Make a Difference Changed Purchase Choices to Make a Difference on Issues By Gender, Average of 27 Countries, 2020 GlobeScan’s data consistently show that women are more concerned about social and environmental issues and are more likely to use their power as consumers to address these concerns. Data show that females are significantly more likely than males to say they have changed their purchasing choices in … “Insight of the Week: Women Are Significantly More Likely Than Men to Use Their Buying Power to Make a Difference”
Most View Biodiversity Loss as Very Serious Seriousness of Biodiversity Loss, Average of 27 Countries, 2020 More than half across 27 markets believe loss of biodiversity is “very serious.” The perceived seriousness of biodiversity loss is higher in Latin America and Europe, while much lower in Asia-Pacific. There is a clear trend of younger generations believing that the problem of losing species is more serious compared to older generations. Notes: Question wording: For each of the following possible global problems, … “Insight of the Week: Most View Biodiversity Loss as Very Serious”
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Significant Opportunities for Plant-Based Alternatives to Real Meat, Especially in Asia and Latin America Preference for Meat vs Plant-based by Country, 2020 (Subsample: Meat eaters, representing 91% of the global population) Most meat-eaters globally prefer real meat to alternatives made from plants if price and taste remained equal (59% vs 41%). In seven out of the 27 countries surveyed, majorities say they would prefer plant-based to real meat, including in Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Thailand, and Vietnam. Younger consumers … “Insight of the Week: Significant Opportunities for Plant-Based Alternatives to Real Meat, Especially in Asia and Latin America”
Experts’ Perceptions of Business Performance on Sustainable Development Are Trending Down Performance on Contribution to Sustainable Development % of Experts, “Excellent” (4+5), 2012–2020 Expert perceptions of the private sector’s contribution to sustainable development have dropped after peaking in 2018, placing business among the lowest-rated institutions but ahead of national governments. Meanwhile, positive expert assessment of citizen-led movements has strengthened over the past two years. NGOs continue to be the most positively viewed by sustainability professionals in terms of their work … “Insight of the Week: Experts’ Perceptions of Business Performance on Sustainable Development Are Trending Down”
Consumers Believe That Affordability of Responsible Products and Services Is Key Preferred Company Actions to Help People and the Environment, Average of 27 Countries, 2020 When asked what companies can do to enable healthy and sustainable living, consumers globally prioritize ensuring affordable yet responsible products. This is consistent across almost all 27 markets surveyed and across all generations, highlighting how pivotal affordability is for consumers to be able to change their behavior at scale. Notes: Question wording: What are the … “Insight of the Week: Consumers Believe That Affordability of Responsible Products and Services Is Key”
Economic Inequality Is Seen as a Bigger Investment Risk Than Climate Change Shareholder Views on Investment Risk, Agree (Somewhat and Strongly), Subsample: Shareholders, Average of 27 Countries (n=9,648), 2020 Strong majorities of retail investors – people in the general population who own shares directly or indirectly – believe that both economic inequality and climate change are significant risks for shareholders. Only in South Korea and Sweden are retail investors more worried about climate change than inequality, a surprising finding given … “Insight of the Week: Economic Inequality Is Seen as a Bigger Investment Risk Than Climate Change”