Global Poll Shows Chinese Consumers Increasingly Skeptical of Companies’ Green Claims
Back in 2005, GlobeScan found that the vast majority (more than 80 percent) of Chinese consumers felt that companies communicated ‘honestly and truthfully’ about their social and environmental performance.
Five years later, opinions have changed.
In its 2010 global tracking research on public views of corporate social responsibility, GlobeScan found that these days, less than half (40 percent) of Chinese consumers believe that companies are being truthful about their CSR performance.
“The Chinese economy may be forecast to grow at 10 percent this year, but these findings suggest this rapid growth has a cost,” says GlobeScan Senior Vice President Chris Coulte. “Companies are being seen as less responsible, and consumers are starting to question whether their communications on CSR match the reality of their behavior.”
In fact, across three out of four BRIC countries, skepticism is on the rise and now seems to be coupled with a more generalized declining opinion of companies’ green initiatives. For instance, between 2008 and 2010, the proportion of companies that consumers estimate are acting responsibly has fallen from 29 to 24 percent in Russia, 39 to 32 percent in India, and 41 to 37 percent in China. It has remained relatively static (35 to 34 percent) in Brazil.
By contrast, North Americans are slightly more upbeat, and in this year’s survey they estimated that 37 percent of companies were responsible, compared to 34 percent in 2008.
Interestingly, GlobeScan’s 2010 study also uncovered a few intriguing trends about consumer behavior regarding company CSR reports. For example, less than one-third of consumers polled in the survey said they have heard or read about companies’ CSR efforts in the past year.
And, the study also shows that when consumers DO want to learn about a company’s CSR performance, they are increasingly turning to the internet for information. The proportion of those across 19 tracking countries who say they learn about companies’ CSR efforts from the web rose from 30 percent in 2006 to 45 percent this year. However, the proportion of those who say they get CSR information from companies’ own websites increased only slightly, from 20 to 23 percent –that’s a clear signal that it now pays to keep an eye on your brand across today’s multiple online channels.
