STUDY: 'Conscientious Consumption' on the Rise While Donations Decline

Two recent and seemingly contradictory studies paint a complicated picture of the corporate CSR and non-profit sectors.

First comes Havas PR’s report on conscientious consumers, titled “BeCause It Matters.”

The agency surveyed more than 6,600 Americans for the project. Its basic conclusion holds that the public — and especially young people — are more concerned than ever before about the ethics and CSR initiatives of the companies whose products they buy. Another unrelated study, however, complicates the picture on the philanthropy side by showing us that traditional sources of donations for non-profit organizations are giving less than they have in the past.

Some findings from the Havas study:

• Women were far more likely to be receptive to sustainability messages than men (62 percent of men were classified as “rejecters” while they only constituted 44 percent of the sample)
• Older participants and those without dependents were more likely to show interest in such messages
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