Global: Online retailers’ reputation for sustainability is falling
A number of major online retailers have set out net zero strategies in the twelve months since we last asked consumers about the sector’s sustainability credentials. But have they made an impact on the overall perception of the industry’s environmental efforts?
According to year-over-year trended data from a global YouGov poll – conducted in 17 markets in 2021, and 18 markets in 2022 – there’s a significant increase in the proportion of consumers who think that online retailers aren’t doing enough when it comes to the environment (from 28% last year to 33% this). In fact, there are only two markets (Australia and Denmark) where the share of consumers who don’t believe these retailers are doing enough hasn’t grown.
Only a small percentage of overall respondents (13% in 2021 and 12% in 2022) think online retailers are doing enough. Last year over a third of the global audience (34%) felt that online retailers are doing a fair amount but could do more, but that number has also dropped to 30% in 2022.
In individual markets, polling data shows little to no change in the proportion of consumers who think online retailers are doing enough to minimize their impact on the environment. China (11% vs. 13%), Hong Kong (10% vs. 12%) and Germany (9% vs. 10%) are the only three countries of the 18 studied in this survey where consumers are more likely to pick ‘doing enough’ than they were last year.
While most markets echo the sentiments of the global audience, Australia registers the highest uptick in consumers who think e-commerce retailers are doing a fair amount but could do more (26% vs. 30%). India follows with a marginal increase (41% vs. 42%). In the APAC region, Indonesia records a 9-point decrease in consumers who feel that online retailers are doing something but could do more to help the environment (37% vs. 28%).
In the US, the proportion of consumers who think online retailers are doing a fair bit but could do more drops by five percentage points (26% vs. 21%). At the same time, the share of those who pick ‘not doing enough’ increases by five points in the US (24% vs. 29%).
Britain maintains the lowest share of consumers who think online retailers are doing enough to protect the environment (7%). This year, around two in ten Britons (22%) think e-commerce sellers are doing a fair amount but could do more. However, the share of consumers who pick ‘not enough’ has risen to 43%, the highest of all markets, along with France (43%).
UAE registers a drop in the proportion of consumers who pick ‘Don’t know’ compared to last year (15% vs. 10%), suggesting that more people are becoming aware of the environmental impact online retailers are causing. The share of consumers who say ‘not enough’ has also increased significantly (18% vs. 24%).
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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.