The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report released in April 2022 made a clear case for the need to transform our global food system to a more sustainable basis. The report estimates that “21–37% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are attributable to the food system” including agriculture, land use, storage, transport, packaging, processing, retail and consumption. On the consumption side, we can see early signs of shifts in food choices: 24% of people across the world said … “Five Trends in Communicating Food Sustainability to Consumers”
Our Insights
Keep up to date with our latest news, webinars, and reports.
Keep up to date with our latest news, webinars, and reports.
People in countries that create the most carbon emissions are increasingly likely to say climate change is serious. Significant increases in concern have been registered across all countries since the Paris Agreement in 2015. As world leaders meet in Davos, collective action across high-emitting countries is critical to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Source: GlobeScan Radar Report 2021 (survey of 30,000 people in the general public in July 2021)
People around the world rate large companies as weaker than other actors on protecting nature and wildlife, with only one-quarter saying they are doing a good job. National governments are also perceived to be performing poorly. In contrast, NGOs and “people like me” are rated significantly higher, suggesting civil society and other citizens are seen to be leading on taking actions to protect nature. Source: GlobeScan Radar Report 2021 (survey of 30,000 people in the general public in July 2021)
Most people agree that the free-market economic system is best for the future of the world, a view that has grown steadily since the Great Recession but has started to wane over the past few years. People in emerging markets are more optimistic about the free-market system than those in OECD countries. Younger people are also more enthusiastic. Europeans, especially the French, express the weakest support for free-market capitalism. Source: GlobeScan Radar Report 2021 (survey of 30,000 people in the general public in July … “Insight of the Week: Support for the Free-Market Remains High”
Among people who own shares directly or indirectly, nearly two in three say a living wage for workers is “very important” when choosing where to invest. About half say environmental impacts and addressing climate change are very important. As retail investors become more engaged in shareholder resolutions, the social aspect of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) could become more important for companies to demonstrate their performance around workers and social impacts. Source: GlobeScan Radar Report 2021 (survey of 30,000 people … “Insight of the Week: Fair Worker Pay Is a Top Priority for Retail Investors”
Fewer than half of consumers in European and Latin American markets, as well as in North America, feel companies are being honest and truthful about their performance on addressing climate change. As pressure builds for corporate net-zero commitments, there will also be growing attention on how companies communicate their climate strategies. Performance, transparency, clarity, and partnerships are key aspects to a trusted climate communications plan. Source: GlobeScan Radar Report 2021 (survey of 30,000 people in the general public … “Insight of the Week: Europeans and Latin Americans Are More Skeptical about Corporate Climate Claims Than Those in Other Regions”
Under the umbrella of the One Planet Network Consumer Information Programme, GlobeScan has worked with UNEP and WWF to develop a research project to improve our understanding of how the provision of sustainability information can influence consumers’ food choices. The aim of the project is to support the development of effective food sustainability information tools by documenting best practices in communicating food sustainability credentials to consumers. A series of eleven case studies have been published showcasing approaches by companies and … “Case Study Series | Communicating Food Sustainability Information to Consumers”
Across all regions, at least seven in ten people want their governments to enact strong policies that protect nature, even if this comes with some restrictions on companies. Support is especially high where there are very significant areas of rich biodiversity. This suggests that governments will face challenges from their constituencies if they do not proactively work to protect nature. Source: GlobeScan Healthy & Sustainable Living Study 2021 (survey of 30,000 people in the general public in July 2021)
Nearly six in ten people around the world say they have personally been “greatly” (28%) or “moderately” (29%) affected by a lack of access to healthcare. Latin Americans and Russians are most likely to say they are “greatly” affected. This sentiment is much less common in other parts of the world, including Eastern Asia, Northern Europe, Australia, and Canada. A lack of access to healthcare is more likely to greatly affect ethnic and religious minorities, those with lower levels of income … “Insight of the Week: Access to Healthcare Is a Global Equity Issue”
Around the world, there is near-universal support for investing in natural solutions like protecting forests and planting trees to address climate change. Many also say people should be encouraged and educated about ways to reduce their climate impacts. People prefer nature investments, innovation, and education over taxing fossil fuels, although a majority do support carbon taxes. Investing in nature is the most-supported approach to addressing climate change. Source: GlobeScan Radar Report 2021 (survey of 30,000 people in the general public in … “Insight of the Week: Most People Support Addressing Climate Change through Natural Solutions”
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On Tuesday, April 5, 2022, Standard Chartered hosted a virtual panel discussion focused on a ‘just transition’ to net zero, one of the most challenging parts of the climate agenda. The panel discussion was moderated by GlobeScan CEO, Chris Coulter, who welcomed a set of remarkable thought leaders to discuss what a responsible and inclusive transition to net zero looks like, the key challenges and opportunities and how can we accelerate this especially in emerging markets. The panel of sustainable … “Webinar | The Just Transition Opportunity”
Leading property technology platform, Plentific, in partnership with GlobeScan, have published the findings of an in-depth report assessing the challenges associated with retrofitting the property sector to meet tough climate change targets. Some 26 million homes in the United Kingdom will need retrofitting by 2050 and leading experts from housing organisations such as Peabody, Aster Group, Notting Hill Genesis and Clarion have provided their insights about the road ahead. The challenge is clear: buildings account for 30%-40% of the energy … “Retrofitting the Property Sector: Future-Proofing Buildings, Health & Net Zero | Report”
Around the world, over eight in ten people want governments to invest more in renewable energies. People are looking to reduce their climate footprint and want governments to invest to help support this transition. People recognize that systemic change is needed alongside individual action to make a meaningful difference, and they want governments and businesses to lead in this change. Source: 2021 IKEA Climate Action Research report
People all over the world are concerned about having clean water, with 63 percent globally saying that water pollution is a “very serious” issue. Concern is particularly high in Latin America, while people in Asia tend to be less concerned. Young people are more worried than those who are older, but concern is high across all demographics, including political orientation. The desire to safeguard clean water is a unifying issue, and broad audiences will likely be receptive to communications around … “Insight of the Week: Latin Americans Are the Most Worried about Water Pollution”
One of the most challenging aspects of sustainability continues to be how to best engage and mobilize consumers in sustainable living. In a three-part series of webinars, we dove into key findings from our latest global consumer insights research on healthy & sustainable living and exploring how brands can play a role in inspiring consumer action and behavior change. We invite you to watch the recordings below, which feature a great line-up of speakers from Akatu Institute, CVS Health, IKEA, … “Webinar Series | Healthy & Sustainable Living: Engaging Consumers in Sustainability”
Sustainability experts say companies that are seen as underperforming on climate change will face several challenges to their long-term success. Half of experts feel that the reputational cost of inaction will be significant, highlighting increased attention on corporate climate change commitments among stakeholders and the public. Source: GlobeScan/SustainAbility Survey of over 500 experts representing business, government, NGOs, and academia across 71 countries
There is strong support from both women and men among those who are aware of the #MeToo movement: 83 percent of women who are aware of the movement support it while 73 percent of men who are aware support it. Younger people are particularly supportive, especially Gen Z. Together with Millennials, these consumers also have high expectations for brands to support #MeToo. Source: GlobeScan Radar Report 2021 (survey of 30,000 people in the general public in July 2021)
Unequal treatment of women is seen as a “very serious” issue by 43 percent of people globally, but attitudes vary widely across countries and regions. While Latin Americans tend to be the most concerned with gender inequality, people in East Asia and Russia show far less concern. Younger generations are also much more sensitive to the issue, and women are significantly more concerned than men. Gender inequality is clearly not viewed the same way across regions or demographics, requiring different … “Insight of the Week: People in Latin America and Africa / Middle East Are Most Concerned with Unequal Treatment of Women”
These are the key findings from GlobeScan’s latest global opinion research report on how different populations engage on sustainability: The composition of minority groups varies across markets surveyed People in minority groups are more concerned about discrimination Minority groups are disproportionally affected by issues like climate change and air pollution Those belonging to minority groups are more engaged on sustainability
Insight of the Week: Strong Interest across Generations about Product Impacts on Wildlife and Nature
Most consumers around the world say they want to know how products they buy affect nature and wildlife. Interest decreaseswith age, with Baby Boomers and older consumers showing relatively less interest. This shows that consumers are receptive to communications around the impacts of their purchasing decisions when it comes to nature and wildlife. Brands may want to develop more communications around this theme, particularly in engaging younger consumers. Source: GlobeScan Healthy & Sustainable Living Study 2021 (survey of 30,000 people … “Insight of the Week: Strong Interest across Generations about Product Impacts on Wildlife and Nature”
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We are pleased to help launch a new book: The Sustainable Business Handbook: A Guide to Becoming More Innovative, Resilient and Successful The book, co-authored by David Grayson, Professor Emeritus, Cranfield School of Management, Chris Coulter, CEO, GlobeScan, and Mark Lee, Director, The SustainAbility Institute by ERM, has been written as a practical guide filled with case studies and tips to help make business more sustainable. The case for business sustainability has already been made and organizations can no longer … “The Sustainable Business Handbook: A Guide to Becoming More Innovative, Resilient and Successful”
The Forest Stewardship Council and GlobeScan recently hosted a webinar to introduce new research on consumer perspectives about sustainability. With deforestation and climate change at the top of consumer minds, the webinar drew from our global survey of 12,000 consumers in 15 countries to explore the following topics: Discover the latest consumer behaviors and attitudes towards sustainability and forestry issues Understand how sustainability influences consumer purchase decisions Hear practical examples from successful brands, how FSC can be leveraged to demonstrate … “Webinar | Consumer Engagement on Forest Sustainability”
Daniel Bergin has researched the illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade, in both physical markets and online, for the past 10 years in countries such as China, Japan, Myanmar, Belgium, Nigeria, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, and Vietnam. His most recently published paper, in the journal Nature, examined how to persuade people in countries where the trade flourishes to avoid consuming wildlife products, and in turn reduce the likelihood of another pandemic. Reducing a lucrative trade estimated to be worth between US$7 and US$23 … “24 Hours With… Wildlife Trade Researcher Daniel Bergin”
Among those who work at large companies, employees who self-identify as ethnic/racial, religious, or LGBTQI+ minorities are much more likely to have felt excluded at work compared to the total population. This is an important signal for businesses to pay more attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion as part of ongoing efforts to build productive, engaged, and successful workforces – especially during these challenging times (Great Resignation, generational demands for purposeful business, etc.). Source: GlobeScan Radar Report 2021 (survey of 30,000 … “Insight of the Week: Most Minority Employees Have Felt Left Out in the Workplace”