Responsabilidad Social

A Nielsen Report

The Global, Socially-Conscious Consumer
March 2012

GLOBAL, SOCIALLY-CONSCIOUS CONSUMER?

WHO IS THE

YOUNGER
under the age of 40

63%

GREEN

66%
think companies should support the environment

$
Around the world, companies have invested time, talent and treasure in social and environmental efforts for a range of complementary reasons. For many companies,cause marketing—the use of social and environmental efforts to build a brand and increase profits—has been a secondary if not primary motivation. Cause marketing won’t work with all customer segments— some simply don’t care—but previous research suggests that there is a segment of socially-conscious consumers who cause marketers ought to pay attention to1. But who are these socially-consciousconsumers? What causes are most important to them? What’s the best way to reach them?

Willing to pay more for socially-responsible products/services

New findings from a Nielsen survey of more than 28,000 online respondents from 56 countries around the world provide fresh insights to help marketers better understand the right audience for cause marketing activities, which programs resonate moststrongly with this audience, and what marketing methods may be most effective in reaching these consumers. In the study, respondents were asked if they prefer to buy products and services from companies that implement programs that give back to society. Anticipating a positive response bias, respondents were also asked whether they would be willing to pay extra for those services. For the purposesof this study, Nielsen defines the “socially-conscious consumer” as those who say they would be willing to pay the extra.

1

See W. Thomas Anderson, Jr. and William H. Cunningham, “The Socially Conscious Consumer,” Journal of Marketing, Vol 36 (July, 1972), pp. 23-31

2

Copyright © 2012 The Nielsen Company.

Nearly Half of Consumers Will Care with their Wallet
Nielsen’s survey startedby confirming what other studies have suggested, that the majority of consumers, today, express a general preference for companies making a positive difference in the world2. Two thirds (66%) of consumers around the world say they prefer to buy products and services from companies that have implemented programs to give back to society. That preference extends to other matters, too: they prefer towork for these companies (62%), and invest in these companies (59%). A smaller share, but still nearly half (46 percent) say they are willing to pay extra for products and services from these companies, the “socially-conscious consumers,” as defined and focused upon in this report. According to Nielsen’s survey, global, socially-conscious consumers tend to be younger: 63 percent are under the ageof 40, compared to 55 percent of all respondents. In general, Nielsen’s survey shows that younger consumers are more likely to spend extra for products and services from socially-responsible companies. Fifty-one percent of all respondents aged 15 to 39 are willing to pay extra for such products and services compared to 37 percent of all respondents over age 40. There are also important regionaldifferences in the social consciousness of consumers with consumers in Latin America, the Middle East/Africa and Asia-Pacific stating a stronger willingness to pay extra than those in North America and Europe. Overall, about one-third of European and North American consumers say they are willing to pay extra for products and services from companies that have implemented programs to give back tosociety, while at least half of respondents in the other regions are. In the study, the highest concentration of socially-conscious consumers were found in the Philippines, where 68 percent of respondents said they were willing to pay extra for products and services from companies that had implemented programs to give back to society. By contrast, just 20 percent of respondents in the Netherlands...