National governments must lead the transition to sustainable development, our experts say. Yet the latest GlobeScan/SustainAbility Survey confirms what we all know: Governments are failing to deliver, resoundingly. What’s new about these latest findings is just how low the performance of national governments has fallen in the eyes of observers. Virtually none of our expert panel that was surveyed rates government performance as excellent, and just 3 percent give it a positive score of 4 out of 5. In the context of … “How Governments Fail to Lead on Sustainability”
Our Insights
Keep up to date with our latest news, webinars, and reports.
Keep up to date with our latest news, webinars, and reports.
Our recent polling for the BBC World Service showed a very mixed picture of the state of freedoms today, especially in established democracies following Edward Snowden’s allegations of widespread surveillance by the US Government. In order to better understand how different nationalities and groups rate their freedom, GlobeScan’s Advanced Analytics Team applied some statistical techniques to reveal deeper insights into how perceptions differ across the 17 countries included in our latest poll of 17,000 people. The first analysis we performed … “A Deeper Look at Freedom: How Perceptions Differ Across Countries and Groups”
A survey conducted by GlobeScan, on behalf of the World Gold Council, shows that industry stakeholders recognise some of the challenges facing the mining industry and the progress being made in addressing them.
A number of recent media reports, including in The Economist and Financial Times, have raised the subject of the declining state of our democracy. Some have likened recent actions by so-called “established democracies” as resembling those of autocratic states – such as the recent banning of social media in Turkey and the US government’s blanket on-line surveillance of citizens worldwide. How have all these news reports affected people’s sense of freedom and democracy in this post-Snowden age? Is there a … “Democracy by the Numbers: How Personal Freedoms are Perceived in the Digital Age”
This article was originally published on GreenBiz.com, as part of our Proof Points blog series. 28 March 2014 – Despite a severe drought, Americans don’t seem to notice that water is at low ebb. New GlobeScan Radar survey results show that American concern about fresh water shortages counterintuitively has hit new lows, especially compared to a year ago. The proportion of Americans now saying water shortages constitute a “very serious” issue has declined from more than half (54 percent) in 2013 to just over … “Why Your Business Should Keep Ahead of Public Concern About Water”
Download the Full Report (PDF) 31 March 2014 – Just over one in two citizens (52%) across 17 countries polled for the BBC World Service disagree that “the Internet is a safe place to express my opinions,” outnumbering the 40 per cent who agree it is safe. The poll, conducted by GlobeScan among over 17,000 people worldwide between December 2013 and February 2014 is being released as part of Freedom Live—a day of broadcasts on the World Service’s 27 language services exploring stories about freedom … “One-in-Two Say Internet Unsafe Place for Expressing Views: Global Poll”
Sometimes you have to go see for yourself. GlobeScan and BBMG first published our “Aspirationals” consumer market framework in 2012, in which style and status seeking consumers are shown to have widely adopted paradigm-shifting intentions that collaboratively embrace sustainable brands and socio-environmental equity. Since then, many of our colleagues in global B2C enterprises have enthused about its potential to unite the sustainability agenda with their marketing and product innovation powerhouses by which they are usually dwarfed internally. From higher altitudes, … “Competitive Conformity: The Aspirationals in Southeast Asia”
As a Californian GlobeScanner, I have first-hand experience of our state’s concern about access to fresh water. My water district in Marin County is likely just days away from implementing mandatory water rationing, as it and other water districts throughout the state struggle to deal with a protracted and severe drought. California just experienced not only the driest year on record, but also the warmest winter on record, which has seriously affected the extent of the snowpack in the Sierra … “You Never Miss the Water Until the Well Runs Dry”
Majority think climate change is causing more frequent storms, but aren’t taking action to protect their homes and communities TORONTO, 19 March 2014 – Heavy rainstorms, snowfall and floods increasingly dominate news headlines, with extreme weather events directly affecting more than 3.5 million Canadians in 2013. According to the seventh annual RBC Canadian Water Attitude Study, three-quarters of Canadians (74 per cent) agree that climate change will cause these events to happen more frequently. Yet just 23 per cent are concerned … “What Will It Take For Canadians To Wake Up To The Threats of Extreme Weather?”
After months of street protests that had culminated in violence, the Ukrainian parliament voted to impeach President Viktor Yanukovych on February 22nd. Yanukovych had previously sacrificed closer ties with Europe in favour of a pro-Moscow stance and his removal from power provoked a strong military, diplomatic and economic backlash from Russia, as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s project of a ‘Eurasian Union’ of former Soviet states to rival the EU was dealt a potentially terminal blow. But Russian unease is also … “Departure of Ukraine’s Yanukovych Holds Lessons for Putin”
GlobeScan is an independent, employee-owned insights consultancy whose mission is to help co-create a more sustainable and equitable future. We work with large companies, NGOs and multi-lateral organizations to help them better understand and respond to stakeholder expectations and societal issues.
The only way we can do this effectively is through the generous participation of our expert community in our research projects. In return, we will share exclusive reports, invite you to interesting webinars and make donations to One Tree Planted, a leading reforestation charity.
Are you interested in our work? To get involved join our expert community where your opinions will help shape the direction of some of the most influential organizations in the world.
At the 2014 Mining Indaba Sustainable Development day, Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane (Founder and Chair of the board for African Monitor and Former Archbishop of Cape Town) gave a keynote address setting the tone for a proceeding panel discussion on mining and community relations, stressing the need to bring morality into business decisions with the understanding that profitability needs not to be the only consideration. A common thread running through the discussion that followed was the need for effective, transparent and … “Mining and Community Relations: Conflict and Resolution in South Africa”
More than 1.6 billion people around the world rely on kerosene lamps as a source of light. Kerosene is a toxic fuel oil that can irritate the skin and adversely affect the central nervous system, contributing to the nearly 2 million premature deaths caused by indoor pollution related illnesses. Kerosene fuel also adversely impacts the environment. A recent report shows that 7-9 percent of the kerosene used in lamps is converted into black carbon, a powerful climate change pollutant, and … “Life Is Better With Luci: How Solar Lanterns Help Keep Haitian Communities Safe and Healthy”
This article was originally published on GreenBiz.com, as part of our Proof Points blog series. 21 February 2014 – Who do you trust to interpret data for your business decisions? If you’re a CEO, it may be the members of your executive team; if you’re a mainstream investor, you may look to Bloomberg or the Dow Jones Index to decipher the data on Wall Street. But what if you’re a sustainability professional? With companies producing increasingly transparent sustainability reports, each with extensive … “How Much Do Stakeholders Trust Corporate Sustainability Ratings?”
Originally published for K Magazine, GlobeScan CEO, Christophe Guibeleguiet, takes a look at how Asian consumer attitudes to business in society are changing and the need for companies to balance opportunity with responsibility. Divided into a 3-part blog series, our first post looked at trust, optimism, and extending corporate leadership in Asia, our second on health and safety issues, while this post will look at the rise of ‘Aspirational’ consumers. In the first part of this blog series, we looked at the growing trust … “Redefining Sustainability in Asia: Rise of ‘Aspirational’ Consumers”
Originally published for K Magazine, GlobeScan CEO, Christophe Guibeleguiet, takes a look at how Asian consumer attitudes to business in society are changing and the need for companies to balance opportunity with responsibility. Divided into a 3-part blog series, our first post looked at trust, optimism, and extending corporate leadership in Asia, while a future post will look at the rise of ‘Aspirational’ consumers. This one focuses on health and safety issues. In the first part of this blog series, we looked … “Redefining Sustainability in Asia: Back to Basics on Health and Safety”
Originally published for K Magazine, GlobeScan CEO, Christophe Guibeleguiet, takes a look at how Asian consumer attitudes to business in society are changing and the need for companies to balance opportunity with responsibility. Divided into a 3-part blog series, future posts will look at health and safety issues, and the rise of ‘Aspirational’ consumers. One of the defining features of the early 21st Century has been the apparently inexorable rise of China, and with it, a shift in the balance … “Redefining Sustainability in Asia: Extending Corporate Leadership”
As part of SustainAbility’s Rate the Raters initiative, GlobeScan and SustainAbility polled sustainability experts about key sustainability ratings, rankings and indices.
Two themes formed the backdrop to the World Economic Forum’s 2014 gathering in Davos, Switzerland that ended this week: the return of the global economy to a semblance of stability and the continuing shift of power from West to East. This mixture of economic flux and stability feeds through into our research, with peoples’ views in the institutions that affect their lives, the environment and how they think of certain countries all affected. One of the messages to emerge from … “Davos 2014: Can Rising Public Trust Help Leaders Reshape a Changing World?”
Our 2014 predictions blog identifies seven key trends that we think will have particular impact across the sustainability, reputation, brand nexus. We share our forecasts for key consumer and stakeholder trends, examine the challenges that these represent to business, and anticipate how organizations are likely to respond. 1. Social inequality a rising concern. Evidence from GlobeScan’s stakeholder and consumer surveys supports the notion that social and economic inequality will be key issues of global concern this year. We will continue … “Our 2014 Predictions for the Nexus of Reputation, Brand and Sustainability”
Final report from a GlobeScan Foundation survey assessing the social, economic and environmental impact of MPOWERD Luci Solar Lights in Haiti.
We leverage the largest network of sustainability professionals in the world to produce resources that provide leaders with the inspiration, insight and counsel they need to fully embrace the opportunities and challenges of our world. See how we can support your work.
GlobeScan is a certified B Corporation, which means we meet the highest standards of overall social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability and aspire to use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.
Quality of Life Improved by Solar Lanterns New survey of rural Haitians documents multiple benefits of solar lights NEW YORK – 22 January 2014 – A new study by the GlobeScan Foundation and MPOWERD Inc. demonstrates the significant improvements in quality of life that solar lights can deliver for rural Haitian families. The research was conducted to evaluate and measure the impact of MPOWERD’s Luci inflatable solar lantern on economically disadvantaged families living in rural Haiti. According to the report (download … “Quality of Life Improved by Solar Lanterns: New Survey of Rural Haitians”
Redefining Sustainability in Asia This article was originally published in K Magazine PARIS – 16 January 2014 – Attitudes to business in the three largest Asian economies are changing. There’s a need for companies to balance opportunity with responsibility, says GlobeScan co-CEO, Christophe Guibeleguiet. While the economic opportunities in China, India and Indonesia are enormous, companies are now coming face-to-face with the responsibilities involved. Over the past year, major environmental disasters, food contamination scandals and stronger government demands for corporate citizenship have disrupted … “Redefining Sustainability in Asia”
In a recent blog post, we used Greendex Survey data to show that those who do not experience the negative effects of climate change are also less likely to choose a sustainable lifestyle. In this post we aim to further explore the factors that may be delaying people’s likelihood of making more sustainable purchases. In the final months of 2013, the Psychonomics Society hosted reputable philosophers and scientists to discuss the cognitive factors that underlie perceptions of human impact on climate … “How Perceived Disagreement on Climate Change is Impeding Sustainable Consumption”
This article was originally published on GreenBiz.com, as part of our Proof Points blog series. 7 January 2014 – “Materiality” was 2013’s sustainability buzzword. This is largely due to the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) G4 framework, launched in May, that moved the concept of materiality into the heart of sustainability reporting and consequently into the bedrock of sustainability strategy. According to the GRI, material issues are those that have “direct or indirect impact on an organization’s ability to create, preserve or erode economic, environmental and … “New Survey Helps Move “Materiality” Beyond the Buzzword”