Ed Dowding

• Only 47% of UK adults believe that individual efforts to limit their own impact on climate change are worthwhile, although this rises to 70% of readers and users of the Guardian and Observer, who tend to be more eco-conscious.
• The research further shows that 40% of UK adults think that pollution from other countries makes our efforts irrelevant, falling to 17% among the GNM audience.
• The study mirrors other recent research that shows that consumers are not prepared to pay a premium for more ethical goods and services.
• Quality remains the main influencer of choice regardless of whether a product or service is ethical.
• Also key is the availability of ethical choices, with 69% of UK adults 93% of GNMs audience keen to buy ethical clothing if it was more widely stocked.
• There is also increased demand for more transparency and accountability from companies. For example, 86% of the GNM audience like buying products from companies that give something back to society and 84% think that companies should be penalised for failing to care for the environment.
• 41% of GNM audience:  Strong sense of personal responsibility in dealing with climate change, do everything they can to live ethically, have a strong sense of urgency, highly aware and understand environmental and ethical concepts, influence others

via What motivates consumers to make ethically conscious decisions? on Guardian Sustainable Business