The Corporate Communications Strategy Research Institute announced the “2020 ESG/SDGs Awareness Survey” on September 29, 2020. The survey period is June 24th to June 30th, 2020. Responses were received from a total of 10,500 men and women aged 20 to 69 nationwide.
This survey revealed consumers’ awareness and behavior regarding the SDGs.
Reference source: Corporate Communications Strategy Research Institute announces the results of the “2020 ESGSDGs awareness survey” targeting 10,000 consumers nationwide
SDGs awareness rate is approximately 39.8% – 15 points increase from last year
First, let’s take a look at the recognition rates for “ESG” and “SDGs.”
ESG is an acronym for Environment, Social, and Governance, and in recent years, it has been emphasized along with financial information in investment decision-making. The ESG awareness rate was 23.7%, combining the 5.5% who said they were “familiar with ESG” and the 18.2% who had “heard about it.” This is an increase of 5 points from the previous 18.3% in 2019.
Furthermore, the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) are international goals that were created at the United Nations Summit in September 2015 and consist of 17 goals and 169 targets. The SDGs awareness rate was 39.8%, combining the 14.0% who said they were “familiar with the SDGs” and the 25.8% who had “heard about them.” Compared to the previous year’s 24.2% in 2019, this is an increase of 15 points. This may be due to an increase in SDGs-related initiatives in exposure on news programs and in PR activities of various companies.
Reference source: Corporate Communications Strategy Research Institute announces the results of the “2020 ESGSDGs awareness survey” targeting 10,000 consumers nationwide
Corporate initiatives related to SDGs show strong interest in “food”
With regard to the SDGs, which are becoming increasingly well-known, what kind of initiatives are consumers interested in from companies? The top answer was “Reducing food loss (reviewing expiration dates, introducing take-out bags, etc.)” at 35.5%, followed by “Developing and utilizing renewable energy technologies such as solar power generation” at 35.2%, and “Countermeasures against marine plastic waste (reducing single-use bags, etc.)”. This was followed by 31.9% of respondents who said, “reducing plastic use, etc.” In addition to reducing food loss, which was ranked top, “food banks (donating food to people in need)” ranked 28.3%, and “supporting children’s cafeterias” 27.7%, meaning food-related topics ranked in the top 5. There is.
Reference source: Corporate Communications Strategy Research Institute announces the results of the “2020 ESGSDGs awareness survey” targeting 10,000 consumers nationwide
Real-world spaces are becoming more popular as a place to recognize companies’ initiatives related to SDGs
Next, how can consumers learn about companies’ initiatives regarding SDGs?
When asked how they obtained information about specific corporate initiatives related to the SDGs, 59.1% of respondents answered “media-based” and 48.5% said “real-world information”, indicating a high level of recognition from the media. .
The top choice among media was “programs and articles” at 28.7%, followed by “word of mouth and reputation on the Internet” at 19.6%, and “information directly transmitted by companies” at 18.8%.
On the other hand, in the real world, the top choice was “Experience products/services directly” at 24.4%, followed by “Through employees/store staff, etc.” at 16.4%, and “In stores, etc. (POP, displays, etc.)” at 14.1%. . Both items have increased since 2019, and it is clear that despite the coronavirus pandemic, there are more opportunities to become aware of SDGs initiatives through direct experience of products and services and information from store staff and stores. It became.
Reference source: Corporate Communications Strategy Research Institute announces the results of the “2020 ESGSDGs awareness survey” targeting 10,000 consumers nationwide
20% of companies have purchased products and services after learning about their initiatives related to SDGs
Finally, I would like to see what kind of actions consumers take after learning about companies’ initiatives regarding SDGs. The top answer, 28.2%, was “I started viewing the website of the company, product, or service.” This was followed by 21.5% who said they had “purchased or used the company’s products or services,” and 18.5% who said they had “purchased or used the company’s products or services.”
It has become clear that more than 20% of consumers who learned about SDGs-related initiatives accessed corporate websites, product and service websites, and actually purchased or used them. Communicating initiatives related to the SDGs from companies is an important element in increasing the social value of the company or its products and services.
Reference source: Corporate Communications Strategy Research Institute announces the results of the “2020 ESGSDGs awareness survey” targeting 10,000 consumers nationwide
Through this survey, awareness of the SDGs has increased among consumers, and learning about companies’ initiatives regarding the SDGs has led to them actually accessing company websites and product/service sites, and purchasing products/services. It became clear that There is no doubt that not only will companies promote initiatives related to the SDGs, but they will also actively communicate these initiatives through their own marketing, which will lead to the improvement of their own brands in the future.
Reference source: Corporate Communications Strategy Research Institute announces the results of the “2020 ESGSDGs awareness survey” targeting 10,000 consumers nationwide