French consumers attitude towards
SRI
Key findings of EIRIS-FIR survey
October 2013
The survey
National online consumer survey conducted by Ipsos MORI
between September 20 and 22 2013, in the context of
the French SRI week
Aims:
• Gauge current interest in socially responsible investment among French
consumers and particularly French retail investors
• Identify what motivates them, the barriers
Sample:
• 1001 people, 16-75 years old, across France
• Sample weighted to reflect demographic trends
• After a first filter, only those currently holding a financial product were
surveyed, 90% of the initial sample (901 people)
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Sondage Ipsos pour EIRIS & FIR Oct. 2013
KEY FINDINGS
Role of environmental and social
issues in investment decisions?
Environmental and social criteria play an important role in
investment decisions
• 50% of the respondents
say they attach great
importance (13%) or
some importance (38%)
to environmental, social
and ethical issues in
their investment
decisions
16%
13%
Très importante
34%
38%
Importante
Peu importante
Pas du tout
Q2: Do you currently attach importance to
environmental, social and ethical criteria in your
investment decisions ? (base 901)
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Sondage Ipsos pour EIRIS & FIR Oct. 2013
The current economic crisis should strengthen environmental,
social and ethical expectations from companies.
5%
77% of investors think
that environmental,
social and ethical
expectations from
companioes should be
strengthen with the crisis
19%
35%
Tout à fait
Assez
42%
Pas vraiment
Pas du tout
Q3: With the current crisis, do you think
environmental, social and ethical expectations from
companies should be strengthened? (base 901)
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Sondage Ipsos pour EIRIS & FIR Oct. 2013
KEY FINDINGS
Awareness and Interest?
A level of awareness still very low
7%
62% of the respondents had never
heard of socially responsible
investment (SRI) before*
30% had heard about SRI but
wouldn’t be able to define it
Oui, je sais
précisément ce
que c’est
30%
62%
Oui, mais je ne
sais pas
vraiment ce que
c’est
Non
7% of respondents know precisely
what SRI is.
In addition:
•
2% of the respondents say that they
have already invested in an SRI fund
Q4: Before this survey, had you already heard
about socially responsible investment? (base 901)
* ISR définit dans le sondage comme un placement qui vise à concilier performance économique
et impact social et environnemental en finançant les entreprises et les entités publiques qui
contribuent au développement durable quel que soit leur secteur d’activité. En influençant la
gouvernance et le comportement des acteurs, l’ISR favorise une économie responsable.
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Sondage Ipsos pour EIRIS & FIR Oct. 2013
SRI : a option seldom proposed by the financial distribution
networks
2%
Only 2% of the investors
have been proposed SRI by
their bank or financial
advisor
7%
Oui
Non
90%
Ne sais pas
Q6: Has your bank or financial advisor ever proposed to you
socially responsible investment? (base 901)
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Sondage Ipsos pour EIRIS & FIR Oct. 2013
The uptake in SRI fund is likely to increase with the level of
awareness
Connaissent précisément l'ISR (3)
40%
32%
28%
Oui
Connaissent un peu (2)
23%
23%
54%
Non
Ne sais pas
Tout investisseurs (1)
(1)
(2)
(3)
Base 814
Base 276
Base 56**
18%
0%
30%
52%
10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Q7: If it was proposed to you, would you be ready to invest part of your
savings in socially responsible investment (SRI) (base 814)
•
18% of respondents say they would be ready to invest part of their savings in an
SRI* fund if it was proposed to them.
•
52% do not know
•
Among respondents knowing precisely what SRI is, 40% would be ready to invest
in it.
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** = base below 100, interpret with caution
Sondage Ipsos pour EIRIS & FIR Oct. 2013
SRI and investors’ trust in their
financial institutions?
The level of trust in financial institutuions remains low
5% 11%
29%
Tout à fait confiance
•35% of respondents do
not really trust or not at
all their financial
institution
Assez
54%
Pas vraiment
Pas du tout
•Those that mistrust
them have increased
since last year; they
were 30% in 2012.
Q8: To which extent do you trust your financial institution
(bank, insurance company etc.)? (base 901)
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Sondage Ipsos pour EIRIS & FIR Oct. 2013
… but SRI could be a driver for increased trust in financial institutions
54% of respondents say that if their financial institution adopted an SRI approach, this
would increase their confidence in them.
.
7%
9%
Tout à fait, j’aurais plus
confiance
Assez
39%
46%
Pas vraiment
Pas du tout
Q9: If your financial institution made a commitment to a socially
responsible investment approach, would it increase your confidence ?
(base 901)
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Sondage Ipsos pour EIRIS & FIR Oct. 2013
What is the best source of
information on SRI?
Financial advisors remain however the preferred source to be
informed about SRI
14%
17%
La presse, les médias
Votre conseiller financier
27%
42%
Les ONG, associations de
consommateurs, etc.
Vos proches, amis et famille
Q10. Who could the best inform you about socially responsible investment ?
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Sondage Ipsos pour EIRIS & FIR Oct. 2013
SRI label and the role of
policy makers
The more respondents know about SRI, the readier they are to
request it from their financial insitutions
17%
Tout investisseurs (1)
37%
46%
Oui
23%
Connaît un peu l'ISR (2)
Bonne connaissance de
l'ISR (3)
32%
41%
Investi actuellement en
ISR (4)
Base
Base
Base
Base
901
302
72**
16**
35%
60%
0%
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
44%
20%
60%
Ne sais
pas
24%
34%
40%
Non
7%
80%
100%
Q11. Would you be ready to request an SRI approach from your
financial institution?
16
** = base below 100, interpret with caution
Sondage Ipsos pour EIRIS & FIR Oct. 2013
A label supported by public authorities can be a decisive factor
while choosing SRI
33%
37%
Connaît un peu l'ISR (2)
35%
35%
31%
Tout investisseurs (1)
29%
Oui
Non
45%
Bonne connaissance de l'ISR (3)
20%
35%
5% 13%
82%
Investi actuellement en ISR (4)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Ne sais pas
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Q12. Would the existence of a label supported by public authorities entice
you to choose socially responsible investment?
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Base
Base
Base
Base
901
302
72**
16**
** = base below 100, interpret with caution
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Sondage Ipsos pour EIRIS & FIR Oct. 2013
A clear trend towards a compulsory inclusion in saving products
58%
Tout investisseurs (1)
8%
Connaît un peu l'ISR (2)
8%
50%
30%
59%
14%
24%
9%
Très favorable
Favorable
Plutôt défavorable
Bonne connaissance de l'ISR (3)
26%
45%
15%
14%
Très défavorable
81%
Investi actuellement en ISR (4)
44%
0%
10%
20%
37%
30%
40%
50%
60%
13%
70%
80%
90%
6%
100%
Q13. Would you be in favour of making a portion of SRI compulsorily
included in saving products (such as life insurance, plan d’épargne en action
(PEA), etc.)
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Base
Base
Base
Base
901
302
72**
16**
** = base below 100, interpret with caution
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Sondage Ipsos pour EIRIS & FIR Oct. 2013
Questions
Johanna Hariri
Client Relationship Manager - EIRIS Paris
+33 (0)1 84 17 72 86 (direct)
[email protected]
Grégoire Cousté
Délégué général FIR
Tél : + 33 (0)9 72 27 23 08
[email protected]
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The French Social Investment Forum (FIR) is a
multi-stakeholder association (Asset owners, asset
managers, rating agencies, brokers, associations…)
established in 2001. Its main objective is to
promote SRI (Socially Responsible Investment) and
its best practices. FIR is coordinating the French
SRI Week (www.semaine-isr.fr) and CorDial
(Corporate Dialogue) an engagement platform
with French listed companies. FIR is also a
founding member of Eurosif. Website:
www.frenchsif.org
@EIRISNews
www.eiris.org/blog
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Sondage Ipsos pour EIRIS & FIR Oct. 2013