September 7th, 2022, Janice Fernandes
While consumers may be voting with their money when it comes to the shift towards electric, what do consumers globally think about the efforts of automotive companies in minimising their impact on the environment?
According to year-over-year trended data from a global YouGov poll – conducted in 17 markets in 2021, and 18 markets in 2022 – just over one in ten global respondents continue to think that automotive companies are doing enough (11%).
Polling data shows that within the span of a year, fewer global respondents think companies are doing a fair amount but could do more (33% in 2021 and 29% in 2022). Conversely, a higher share thinks companies are not doing enough (36% in 2021 and 39% in 2022).
Consumers in UAE are twice as likely as global respondents to say automotive companies are doing enough to protect the environment (22% in 2021), the highest of all markets. The share continues to increase in 2022, registering nearly a quarter of consumers (24%).
In APAC, India registers around two in ten consumers (20%) who say automotive companies are doing enough. However, Singapore (7%) and Hong Kong (5% vs. 6%) see less than one in ten consumers sharing the sentiment, the lowest of all markets. While these markets see a decrease in consumers who say automotive companies are not doing enough – Singapore (41% vs. 38%) and Hong Kong (48% vs. 47%), the rest of the markets register an increase in consumers.
Like the global audience, 14% of consumers in the United States continue to think carmakers are doing enough. Mexico, on the other hand, registers a marginal increase in the number of consumers who pick ‘doing enough’ (9% in 2021 vs. 12% in 2022).
Most markets in the European region have not seen a major attitude shift since a year ago. Just less than one in ten Britons (7%) continue to think car brands are doing enough to protect the environment. The figure drops slightly among Spaniards over the year (9% vs. 7%).
The overall data suggests that global consumers are not seeing enough change in automotive companies' efforts to reduce their impact on the environment – or that consumer expectation is changing more rapidly than the industry’s efforts to address sustainability. Either way, it’s a message to carmakers that there is more to do on this front.
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2022 Methodology: YouGov RealTime Omnibus provides quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. The latest data is based on the interviews of adults aged 18 and over in 18 markets with sample sizes varying between 515 and 2,082 for each market. All interviews were conducted online in July 2022. Data from each market uses a nationally representative sample apart from Mexico and India, which use urban representative samples, and Indonesia and Hong Kong, which use online representative samples. Learn more about YouGov RealTime Omnibus.
2021 Methodology: YouGov RealTime Omnibus provides quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. The data is based on the interviews of adults aged 18 and over in 17 markets with sample sizes varying between 585 to 2,018 for each market. All interviews were conducted online in July 2021. Data from each market uses a nationally representative sample apart from Mexico and India, which use urban representative samples, and Indonesia and Hong Kong, which use online representative samples. Learn more about YouGov RealTime Omnibus.