Think Gen Z's the Only Group Focused on Climate? Think Again

A wide variety of conversations have been sparked by world leaders' negotiations at COP26 these past three weeks. Much attention has been given to brand leaders who deliberated over their corporate responses to the outcomes of the United Nations Climate Change meetings and agreements. There was also a great deal of lobbying by businesses designed to limit the effects of nations' environmental protection pacts. Away from the massive media coverage of the global gathering, it's fair to assume that very different conversations were happening around dinner tables, at coffee shops and during lunch breaks across the globe. The way that everyday people think about climate change—and how it may, or may not, impact their lives—is generally far removed from the language of international diplomacy. It's a lot less scientific. And it's a lot more personal. The research also challenged some of the conventional wisdom on climate-related consumer sentiment. On a global level, for example, baby boomers were more likely to express climate anxiety than Gen Z. That's despite typical portrayals in media that suggest disparate age groups often being positioned squarely on opposite sides of the issue. More than three years ago, the newly formed sustainability team of McCann's consumer research arm began a project to learn how people around the world conceptualize climate change. The team sought to uncover what consumers care about with regard to the environment, and what climate action means to their daily lives. 76% of Americans Want Sustainable Products—but How You Define That Matters The biggest global challenge Interviews with ordinary citizens were conducted in 2019 and 2021 across dozens of global markets. Discussions also included experts, community leaders and conversations from McCann Worldgroup's network. The research team is presenting those results today at McCann's "Truth About a Well World" conference, which will focus on wellness and sustainability. The data showed that a vast majority of people are concerned about climate change: 82% said that it's one of the biggest challenges facing the world in the next two decades. Importantly, the next most popular answer to that question was the "growing number of pandemics." Given that the survey was largely conducted during a pandemic, it's clear that the global citizenry is particularly galvanized by the importance of protecting the planet at this anxious moment. Other common concerns read like a list of themes for futuristic dystopian novels: the spread of misinformation online, erosion of personal privacy due to technology, increased levels of terrorism, instability of nuclear power and oil shortages. The vast majority of people worldwide are concerned about climate change. The goal of Truth Central's work is to be "the voice of the people," explained Nadia Tuma-Weldon, svp, director of Truth Central and lead of McCann's global luxury practice. Ditch the jargon The findings are being used to inform the work that McCann does with brand marketing and business clients across its global business. Still, Tuma-Weldon emphasized how imperative it is for brand messaging to move beyond the technical and focus more on the personal. While precise, though often abstruse, clinical terms might make perfect sense for high-level sustainability reports or establishing industry standards, consumer-facing messaging must be more creative. For example, while net zero might be included in a brand's sustainability strategy, that's not the right way to talk about it to consumers—in fact, nearly half don't even know what that means, according to McCann's survey. The qualitative data that the team collected offered more insight into what does resonate with the broader public. When asked what climate issues and actions mean to them, respondents sent in photos of children, household gardens and repurposed items, Tuma-Weldon said. "The real nucleus of this study was that contrast between this impenetrable language of science and this deeply soulful human language," she said. Consumers see climate change as a problem that government, business and individuals share relatively equally. Culture informs climate response Beyond avoiding jargon, the results also indicated that brand marketers would do better to frame climate messaging in a positive, action-oriented light. Rather than focusing on the things that people need to give up to save the planet, brands can tap into the ways that people are already willing to make changes—but that requires a deeper understanding of culture. According to Truth Central's research, 90% of people are willing to give up something to live more sustainably. But overall, only 13% of people are willing to give up eating meat, and only 9% are willing to limit international travel. Still, it depends where you are. In India, where vegetarianism is more common, more people were willing to stop eating meat. In the U.S., more people were willing to give up international travel. What happens when we assume While the prevailing views based on countless prior studies would indicate that Gen Z cares more about the environment than their predecessors do, McCann's data shows that's not necessarily the case on a global scale. It was actually those 55-64 who said they were most concerned about the climate. Young people trailed baby boomers on climate anxiety, according to McCann's data. The study also pointed out an often overlooked group of climate concerned consumers: parents. The data showed that 70% of parents are worried about climate change compared to 61% of non-parents. Brands have a powerful role to play in addressing climate change. Respondents ranked government, business and individuals as most responsible for addressing the climate crisis at near-equal rates: 44% said it falls on government, 43% said it falls primarily on businesses and 41% said it primarily falls on "people like me." For McCann, the goal is that this study offers tools to brands and people to make the changes needed to meet the climate goals that we need to as a global population to avoid the worst effects of climate change. "A lack of education can be a barrier to the behavior change," Jaclyn Kaminski, global director of sustainability for McCann, told Adweek. The new study, she said, "demystifies the multifaceted world of sustainability, helps provide people with action and gives them an understanding of what they can do on an individual level." COP26 Open Letter on Climate Disinformation Targets Tech Platforms

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Kathryn Lundstrom