The past week has seen an escalating war of words between big business and policymakers over the taxes paid by multinationals. Apple and Google came under fire from UK and US legislators, while European leaders pledged concerted action to close tax loopholes. However, GlobeScan’s 2013 polling reveals that for the global public, payment of taxes is the bare minimum they expect of companies. Across 24 countries, around a quarter (23%) say they believe that companies’ main responsibility is to pay … “Amid tension over corporate tax affairs, public looks to a new role for companies”
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Keep up to date with our latest news, webinars, and reports.
Download the Full Report (PDF) 22 May 2013 – Positive views of China and India have fallen sharply around the world over the last year, a new 25-country poll for BBC World Service indicates. The poll also finds that views of the UK have improved in the wake of its hosting of the 2012 Olympics, making the UK the third most positively rated country. Of the other fifteen countries rated, nine saw their ratings positive worsen this year while the UK … “Views of China and India Slide While UK’s Ratings Climb”
Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada releases new survey that shows 83% of Canadian youth feel they can make a difference in the world when loved and supported by family and friends Download Infographic English | French OTTAWA, CANADA – 23 May 2013 – Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada (BGCC) today released a unique survey where Canadian youth as young as 8 years old answered the question “what makes you feel confident?” For the 83% of Canadian youth who feel … “Majority of Canadian Youth Feel They Can Make a Difference in the World”
Traditional company communications are least trusted sources of information on sustainability NEW YORK CITY – 21 May 2013 – Trust is no longer in your hands. According to a study by GlobeScan, SustainAbility, and BBMG, social sources of trust like consumer reviews, blogs and message boards (28%) as well as friends, family and co-workers (27%) now rival traditional sources like certifications (40%) and media reports (31%) as consumers’ most trusted sources for determining whether a product is socially and environmentally responsible. Barely one … “Global Study Finds Peers, Consumer Reviews Now Rival Certifications As Top Sources of Trust on Product Sustainability Claims”
27 August 2012 – A new national study in India finds six distinct groups within the Indian public that respond to the issue of climate change in very different ways, according to a new report, “Global Warming’s Six Indias” by researchers at Yale University. “One of the first rules of effective communication is ‘know your audience,’” said Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz, lead author of the report. “This study should help climate change communicators and educators in India raise public awareness and understanding … “From ‘Informed’ to ‘Disengaged’: The Six Ways Indians View Global Warming”
Job losses at Anglo American Platinum and Rio Tinto, as well as the possible liquidation of UK Coal, are just three incidents from recent weeks that highlight the headwinds facing the mining industry, with commodity prices remaining depressed. GlobeScan’s polling shows that the industry faces similar challenges connecting with the general public. In most of the countries surveyed in our Radar global public attitudes tracking, majorities cannot name a single mining company they respect. To some degree this low public … “Mining industry faces a struggle to win public hearts and minds”
This article by Eric Whan originally appeared on GreenBiz.com, as part of our Proof Points blog series. 15 May 2013 – Each year, GlobeScan’s Sustainability Leaders survey asks experts to name a company they regard as a leader in sustainability. As Joel Makower noted recently, one company above all others — Unilever — has emerged as the sustainability champion par excellence in recent years, thanks to its highly ambitious Sustainable Living Plan. And this year, more than one in four experts mention the company is stretching its lead over the … “When Will Emerging Economies Embrace Sustainability?”
Highlights report for the 2013 Unilever Sustainable Living Lab: an online moderated dialogue to co-create solutions to sustainability challenges.
Findings from The 2013 Sustainability Leaders: A GlobeScan/SustainAbility Survey.
Across the world both human and animal rights movements remain popular, with millions around the world joining advocacy and campaigning groups. Activists may sometimes find themselves on the wrong side of public opinion, such as when animal rights activists target the life sciences industry, or when the legal battles of criminals and terrorists are protracted, alienating the general population. But public support for the rights agenda nonetheless remains high. In our most recent global polling, 76% of those polled across … “High public concern for human rights – but UK among countries where animal rights seen as more important”
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NEW YORK CITY – 25 April 2013 – A study by The Regeneration Roadmap – a joint project by GlobeScan, SustainAbility, and BBMG – finds that nearly 9 in 10 consumers globally (86%) say “ingredient transparency is extremely important or very important” for companies to address as part of their products, services, or operations, including 88% of consumers in emerging markets and 84% of consumers in developed markets. However, only 57% regularly “check the list of ingredients before purchasing” products, highlighting the gap between interest and action … “Consumers Rank Ingredient Transparency Among Most Important Issues For Brands”
One of the biggest trends in corporate social responsibility at the moment is the partnering of large corporate players with charities and NGOs. Initiatives such as Swiss Re’s work with Oxfam, CARE’s work with Unilever and Save the Children’s collaboration with Procter and Gamble have variously been cited as models for this sort of association. Yet while such partnerships meet approval among CSR professionals, GlobeScan’s research suggests that the public themselves take a more sceptical view. When asked as part … “Despite favourable attitudes among experts, public equivocal about NGO-corporate collaboration”
Download the Press Release (PDF) 18 April 2013 – As Earth Day approaches (Monday 22 April), a GlobeScan poll of American public opinion has found that Superstorm Sandy last October appears to have increased the perceived seriousness of climate change, much as Hurricane Katrina affected public opinion seven years ago. GlobeScan surveyed a representative sample of 1,000 Americans by telephone last month (March 2013) and found the percentage of Americans rating climate as “very serious” increased from 39 percent (in 2011) … “Weather Drives American Public’s Climate Concern”
Recent weeks have seen a flaring of tensions on the Korean Peninsula—and while deciphering the intentions of the secretive North is notoriously difficult, analysts have variously painted Kim Jong Un’s bellicose rhetoric as an attempt to boost his standing among influential military players, a reaction to joint US-South Korean military exercises, or a continuation of previous attempts to garner aid or legitimacy through forcing regional partners back to the negotiating table. GlobeScan’s polling shows that well before the most recent … “Against Backdrop of North Korean Sabre Rattling, Neighbours Lose Patience”
This article by GlobeScan Chairman, Doug Miller originally appeared on GreenBiz.com, as part of our Proof Points blog series. 12 April 2013 – One challenge U.S. companies face in dealing with global issues is the significant difference that sometimes exists between public opinion in America and in the rest of the world. Nowhere has the difference in perspective and opinion been more evident than in concern over climate change. For much of the decade between 1995 to 2005, Americans were significantly less concerned … “How Companies and Weather May Sway Public Opinion on Climate”
There was a string of good news on the US economy this week, with unemployment dropping to its lowest level in four years, a significant rise in consumer spending, and a new high for the S&P 500 stock-market index. But GlobeScan’s most recent public tracking data shows that a major turnaround will be needed if Americans are to rediscover their traditional optimism about their country’s future. The proportion of Americans who feel that their country is headed in the right … “Long-term decline in American optimism unlikely to be halted by good news on the economy”
Earlier this month, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) predicted that on current trends 39 percent of the world would be connected to the Internet by the end of the 2013. Penetration in developing countries is expected to reach 31 percent by the end of 2013. And, in a sign of the growing centrality of the Internet to modern life, our global tracking reveals that majorities in most countries consider Internet access to be a fundamental right. When we polled the … “Internet access firmly established as “fundamental right” in developing world”
26 March 2013 – Circle of Blue, a team of award-winning journalists and researchers reporting on water and other worldwide resource issues, and the Institute for Globally Transformative Technologies (LIGTT) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a pioneer in bringing scientific solutions to critical global problems, have partnered to create Choke Point: Index, the first dynamic, open-source data and on-the-ground journalism project exploring the globally significant competition between water, food, and energy. The world’s demand for fresh water is growing so fast that, by 2030, … “First Dynamic, Open-source Data and Journalism Project to Explore Linkage between Water, Food and Energy”
Presentation materials: Download the presentation slides (.PDF, 2.4MB) Review a recording of the full webinar Download the full results of the 2013 Canadian Water Attitudes Study (.PDF, 3.8MB) Explore more from the 2013 Canadian Water Attitudes Study We would appreciate hearing your feedback on the Canadian Water Attitudes Study by answering this quick, 2-question poll. Presenter contact information: Lynn Patterson, Director, Corporate Responsibility, RBC: lynn.e.patterson@rbc.com Chris Coulter, President, GlobeScan: chris.coulter@globescan.com Bob Sandford, EPCOR Chair, Canadian Partnership Initiative, United Nations Water for Life … “RBC CWAS 2013 – Post-Webinar Information”
A report by Oxford University last week predicted that poverty in many of the fastest-developing countries could be wiped out within the next two decades if current trends continue. This report followed a similar assessment from the UN, which concluded that poverty eradication programmes had had far greater impact than expected, and that hundreds of millions of people were in the process of being lifted into the global middle class. Citizens of developing world nations broadly share this upbeat assessment, … “Persistent concern about poverty in developing nations tempers optimism for the future”
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Just one drop per second wastes 25 litres a day of clean, fresh water Download Infographic (PDF) 20 March 2013 – While most Canadians (75 per cent) would fix an internet outage within a few hours or a day, and two-thirds (64 per cent) would repair a TV reception problem that quickly, only half (52 per cent) would fix a leaky faucet within the same timeframe. Further, one-third of Canadians (33 per cent) would take up to a week or more … “Drip, Drip: Canadians Much Quicker to Repair an Internet Outage than a Leaky Faucet”
At GlobeScan, a significant amount of our work is carried out with sustainability practitioners. In our conversations with clients and respondents alike, we see many companies cited as examples of best practice in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). In the course of these conversations, it can be easy to lose sight of the fact that vindication of successful sustainability should come in the form of public recognition. As can be seen, significant numbers of survey respondents around the world cannot or … “Large numbers remain unable or unwilling to name a socially responsible company”
2013 RBC Canadian Water Attitudes Study Urban sprawl and paved paradise threaten clean fresh water today and tomorrow, says leading expert Download Infographic (PDF) 13 March 2013 – While nine-in-10 (90 per cent) Canadians believe that an extreme weather-related disaster is possible in their community, town or city, few are aware of the consequences if excess water caused by rain and snow storms is not managed properly. In towns and cities across Canada, paved surfaces, overloaded storm water management infrastructure, and … “Urban-Dwellers Ill-Prepared for Impact of Mother Nature on Water”
The past few years have seen growing hostility in the Russian government towards the NGO community. New laws passed last summer by the Duma, the Russian parliament, required NGOs funded from abroad to re-register themselves as “foreign agents,” a move that has prompted a great deal of international criticism by bodies such as Amnesty International. The government maintains that NGOs are vehicles for foreign interference in Russian affairs—charges that are strongly rejected by the organizations in question. GlobeScan’s data indicate … “NGOs in Russia: a challenging environment”