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Almost four in ten (37%) employees rate corporate social responsibility as ‘very important’
Global majority strongly agree that companies should pay more attention to the environment (61%), and contribute more to society (52%).
Almost four in ten (37%) employees in 24 countries indicate it is ‘very important’ for their own employers to be ‘responsible to society and the environment’. The emphasis on its importance rises to 80% when it is combined with those employees who believe it is somewhat important (37% very/43% somewhat) that their employer is responsible. Three in ten (29%) report ‘a high degree of social responsibility’ is very important when forming a purchase decision, while about half (45%) view it as fairly important for a total of 74% who say it is important.
The study, conducted among 18 150 adults by global market research company, Ipsos, asked respondents to consider their views of large companies. The poll found that the majority of respondents ‘strongly agree’ that companies should ‘pay more attention to the environment’ (61%) and ‘do more to contribute to society’ (52%).
When asked to consider what the top two most important things a company must do to be respected, the top items among survey respondents were: ‘prioritise workplace safety’ (25% mark it as first priority), ‘contribute to the socioeconomic development of the countries where it operates’ (25%) and ‘respect and adhere to local laws and rights’ (24%).
Thirty-seven percent seek employers who champion CSR
Thinking about the organisation they currently work for, four in 10 (37%) of employed respondents in the survey report they find it very important that their ‘own employer is responsible to society and the environment’. Another four in 10 (43%) find it fairly important, one in 10 (12%) not very important and 3% not at all important. Just a few (5%) indicate they have no opinion on the matter.
On a country-by-country basis, Brazil (65%), Mexico (59%), Argentina (57%), Indonesia (55%) and India (51%) top the charts for proportions of employed respondents indicating it is very important their employer is responsible to society and the environment, while Japan (11%), France (17%), China (19%) and South Korea (22%) have the lowest proportions of advocacy among employees. It is interesting that developing countries form the first group, while those at the bottom of the scale are made up of more industrialised nations (with the possible exception of the fast-growing China).
Just over four of 10 (43%) South Africans find it very important that their employer is responsible to society and to the environment. This is most noticeable among the 35-49-year-old age group.
Three in 10 prioritise CSR when making purchases
When forming a decision about buying a product or service from a particular company or organisation, it is very important for three in 10 (29%) global respondents that it shows ‘a high degree of social responsibility’. This factor is fairly important for about half (45%) of global respondents, not very important for 17%, not at all important for 4% and evokes no opinion in 5%. Those in Indonesia (57%), Brazil (56%), Mexico (50%) and India (45%) are most likely to consider CSR important for their purchasing decisions while those in France (11%), Japan (13%), Belgium (15%) and Germany (15%) are least likely.
From a consumer point of view, 36% of South Africans are more likely to purchase a service or product from a company who has a high degree of social responsibility. This sentiment is more pronounced among women – 42% of whom are more likely to go for a product from a company with a high degree of social responsibility compared to 29% of males.
Majority agree: companies should do more…
A majority strongly agree that ‘companies should do more to contribute to society’ (52%) while three in 10 (32%) tend to agree, and one in 10 (12%) neither agree nor disagree. Only 2% tend to disagree while 1% strongly disagree and another 1% say they don’t know or have no opinion. Similarly, a majority of those in 24 countries indicate they strongly agree ‘companies should pay more attention to the environment’ (61%). Three in 10 (28%) indicate they tend to agree, one in 10 (8%) neither agree nor disagree, and hardly any (1%) say each of: tend to disagree, strongly disagree and don’t know/no opinion.
The top countries strongly agreeing that companies should contribute more to society are Turkey (85%), Brazil (78%), Saudi Arabia (78%) and Mexico (76%), while the bottom four are Japan (22%), United States (33%), Great Britain (34%) and Australia (34%). The top countries strongly agreeing companies should pay more attention to the environment are Mexico (90%), Turkey (89%), Brazil (88%) and Argentina (84%) while those at the bottom of the list are again Japan (28%), Great Britain (36%), United States (40%) and Australia (41%).
Workplace safety, socioeconomic contributions are top issues
Participants were asked to choose the two most important things that a company must do to be respected. One quarter selected ‘prioritise workplace safety’ (25%), ‘contribute to the socioeconomic development of the countries where it operates’ (25%) and ‘respect and adhere to local laws and rights’ (24%) as ‘first’ in terms of priority. Following these top items are: ‘maintain sustainable environmental practices’ (14%), ‘leave behind conditions for sustainable development after operations are closed’ (6%) and ‘fulfil financial and commercial targets to increase shareholder value’ (6%).
In South Africa, the highest ranking attribute in terms of gaining respect is that a company should respect and adhere to local laws and rights (26%). Following that, South Africans believe that companies can gain respect by:
* Maintaining sustainable environmental practices (18%);
* Prioritising workplace safety (18%); and
* Contributing to the socioeconomic development of countries where it operates (18%).
Source: Ipsos
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