Along with factors like price, quality and appeal, the values of the companies that manufacture and distribute products remain top of mind when consumers make purchasing decisions. But to what extent? Distributor Crestline conducted a survey of 2,100 people in 25 U.S. cities to better understand how customers’ values influenced their buying habits.
Crestline’s survey found that 68.3 percent of consumers want to use their influence as shoppers to support companies that share their social, political and environmental values. Less than one in 10, 9.4 percent, report being disinterested in a company’s ethics. Breaking down the question further, Crestline reports that women care slightly more about corporate social responsibility than men, the politically liberal care slightly more about business practices than conservatives and higher education is a strong factor in whether a consumer is concerned about a company’s social and political policies.
Among the issues important to consumers, non-toxic was at the top of the list in the survey, followed by cruelty-free/not tested on animals and antibiotic/hormone-free. Least important were made in America, non-GMO and organic.
While the survey found no sign that age was a significant factor, geography proved important. Of the 25 cities surveyed, all of them fell on the “agree” side of question, “I care whether the companies I buy from share my moral and ethical values,” but there was a sizable variation in where they landed. Seattle, New York City and Washington, D.C. reported feeling most strongly about corporate social responsibility, while Pittsburgh, Boston and New Orleans ranked at the bottom.
For more details from Crestline’s survey, click here.