Corporate Social Responsibility
in Europe
FULL PRESENTATION RESULTS
Stewart Lewis
9 November 2000
Content
 How important is Corporate Social Responsibility?
 What do the public do themselves?
 What are the priorities for companies?
 Ethical Consumerism
– will people pay more?
 Communication
Importance of Social Responsibility
Q
"Industry and commerce do not pay enough attention to
their social responsibilities"
Disagree
All
Finland
Great Britain
Portugal
Italy
Switzerland
Spain
France
Belgium
Germany
Sweden
Denmark
Netherlands
Agree
16%
13%
10%
4%
10%
19%
17%
9%
25%
17%
19%
20%
32%
Base: All ‘European’ public (12,162). September 2000
58%
75%
71%
66%
64%
63%
62%
60%
57%
47%
46%
44%
40%
Methodology
Detailed Methodology
Belgium
Denmark
France
Finland
Germany
Italy
Netherlands
Portugal
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Great Britain
Sample Size
1056
1001
1034
1012
1014
1014
1004
1019
1003
1000
1006
999
Methodology
Telephone
Telephone
Face-to-face
Face-to-face
Face-to-face
Face-to-face
Telephone
Face-to-face
Face-to-face
Face-to-face
Telephone
Face-to-face
Base: All ‘European’ public (12,162). September 2000
Judging Companies
Q
What factors are most important to you when making a
judgement about a company?
Product quality/ reputation
Customer service
63%
56%
Being open and honest
45%
39%
Respect for Human Rights
37%
Healthy/ safe work environment
30%
Environmental practices/ impact
26%
Financial reputation
Business management
23%
22%
Investment in the community
Other
Don’t know
8%
7%
Base: All ‘European’ public (12,162). September 2000
Importance of Social Responsibility
Q
"Industry and commerce do not pay enough attention to
their social responsibilities"
Disagree
All
Under 18
Agree
-16
-19
43
29
18-34
-16
45
35-54
-16
46
55+
-16
Men
Women
Social Class 1
CSR Activists
-18
40
42
-14
-10
-17
Base: All ‘European’ public (12,162). September 2000
45
50
48
Companies or Government?
Q
Responsibility for helping to address social issues
increasingly lies with large companies in addition to the
government. % Disagree
% Agree
All
Switzerland
Spain
Netherlands
Finland
Great Britain
Germany
France
Belgium
Italy
Portugal
Sweden
Denmark
14
64
8
8
10
9
11
11
15
83
83
80
78
66
60
59
59
58
24
10
9
25
27
Base: All ‘European’ public (12,162). September 2000
52
47
47
Importance in Purchasing Decisions
Q
When forming a decision about buying a product of service from a
particular company or organisation, how important or unimportant is it to
you that it shows commitment to social responsibility?
% Not important
All
Spain
Netherlands
Belgium
Great Britain
Switzerland
Portugal
Finland
Italy
Denmark
Germany
France
Sweden
% Important
-24
-9
-15
-19
-22
-24
-15
-29
-28
-27
-27
-33
-43
Base: All ‘European’ public (12,162). September 2000
70
89
81
77
74
73
69
69
66
65
61
58
55
How Important across Europe?
Q
When forming a decision about buying a product or service from a particular
company or organisation, how important is it to you that it shows
commitment to social responsibility?
All
Spain
Belgium
Switzerland
Great Britain
Denmark
Finland
Italy
Portugal
Netherlands
France
Germany
Sweden
% Very Important
25%
47%
39%
31%
30%
26%
23%
20%
20%
20%
19%
8%
4%
Base: All ‘European’ public (12,162). September 2000
What are the Priorities for Companies?
Q
Looking at this card, please could you tell me which areas you feel are
important that companies contribute to or support?
77%
72%
Protecting in health and safety of its workers
Ensuring operations respect human rights
70%
Providing secure jobs to employees
68%
68%
Ensuring products do not harm the environment
Treating all employees fairly
59%
58%
Investing in education and training
Ensuring no participation in bribery
49%
Listening/ responding to public
43%
Helping solve social problems
Supporting charities and community projects
41%
Social responsible investment
No opinion
41%
3%
Base: All ‘European’ public (12,162). September 2000
Priorities - Across Europe
Q
Looking at this card, please could you tell me which areas you feel are
important that companies contribute to or support?
Education & Training
All
Spain
Swede
n
Belgium
Germany
Denmark
Finland
France
Greece
Great Britain
Italy
Portugal
Netherlands
Switzerland
Base: All ‘European’ public (13,000). September 2000
75%
82%
93%
91%
54%
75%
52%
59%
95%
55%
57%
58%
92%
92%
Ethical Consumers
Q
Can you tell me which of the statements on this card, if any,
apply to you?
Am Sympathetic to environmental
and social concerns but not active
Would recommend a company to friends and
family because of its social and ethical
reputation
Would describe myself as an ethical consumer
61%
41%
39%
Frequently discuss companies’ social and
ethical behaviour with family and friends
Don’t think it’s companies’ responsibility
to address social and ethical issues
Actively sought information on a
company’s social and ethical activities
None of these
Don’t know
28%
17%
14%
7%
6%
Base: All ‘European’ public (12,162). September 2000
Where are Ethical Consumers?
Q
I would describe myself as an ‘Ethical Consumer’
All
Spain
Netherlands
Denmark
Belgium
Switzerland
Swede
n
France
Germany
Finland
Great Britain
Portugal
Italy
39%
68%
64%
60%
59%
51%
42%
31%
29%
24%
20%
11%
7%
Base: All ‘European’ public (12,162). September 2000
CSR Activists
Q
Please can you tell me which, if any, of the activities on
this card you have done in the last twelve months?
59%
57%
Recycled household material/waste
Given money to a good cause
Bought a products or service because
of an established link to a good cause
Bought a product which was labeled
as social, ethical or environmental
I have bought organic food
37%
37%
37%
34%
Given voluntary help to a good cause
Chosen to buy goods and services because of
a company’s social ethical reputation
Actively campaigned about environmental/
social cause
Felt guilty about an ‘unethical purchase’
17%
15%
10%
9%
None of these
Don’t know
3%
Base: All ‘European’ public (12,162). September 2000
CSR Activists - Across Europe
Q
Please can you tell me which, if any, of the activities on this
card you have done in the last twelve months?
CSR Activists
All
Switzerland
Sweden
Belgium
Netherlands
Spain
Denmark
Finland
Great Britain
Germany
France
Portugal
Italy
26%
51%
46%
44%
38%
37%
31%
24%
22%
10%
6%
3%
1%
Base: All ‘European’ public (12,162). September 2000
Paying More?
Q
I would not be willing to pay more for products that are
environmentally and socially responsible
Don’t know/no opinion
Strongly
4%
agree
16%
Strongly
disagree 20%
22%
Tend to
disagree
Tend to
agree
23%
14%
Base: All ‘European’ public (12,162). September 2000
Neither agree
nor disagree
Pay more for responsible products?
Q
I would not be willing to pay more for products that are
environmentally and socially responsible
% Agree
% Disagree
All
Italy
Belgium
Great Britain
Germany
France
Switzerland
Portugal
Finland
Sweden
Netherlands
Spain
Denmark
-44
37
-16
56
-48
42
41
38
37
37
36
36
34
34
33
-40
-30
-36
-55
-28
-51
-53
-52
-56
-64
Base: All ‘European’ public (12,162). September 2000
24
Communication
Q
Companies who actively support society can communicate
their activities in different ways. Which do you feel are the
most appropriate methods?
44%
41%
40%
39%
39%
38%
36%
34%
On products/labels
Voluntary report by companies
Stories on television/press
Internal communication
Information on companies’ web sites
Compulsory Environmental, Social and
Community report
Advertising on television or in the press
Producing company ‘mission and values’
29%
27%
Posters/leaflets in retail outlets
Independent ‘league table’
Companies should not communicate
these activities at all
No opinion
3%
10%
Base: All ‘European’ public (12,162). September 2000