March 8th, 2024, Lesley Simeon
Charitable giving is an opportunity for brands to put their money where their mouth is when it comes to supporting social issues. But does a brand’s charity impact consumers’ decision to purchase from it?
A recent YouGov survey asked consumers across 17 international markets how much more or less likely they are to purchase from a brand that advertises that a portion of the proceeds will be donated to a charitable cause. And for a plurality of people, it makes a positive difference.
More than two in five consumers across markets (45%) say they are more likely to buy from a brand that gives a cut to charity, while only 5% say they are less likely to do so.
The likelihood of buying from a brand that says it will donate part of its sales to charity decreases as the consumer demographic gets older, YouGov data shows. For instance, younger consumers (18-to-24-year-olds) are the most likely across age groups (53%) to say they would be more inclined to buy from a brand that shares profits with a charitable cause.
On the other end of the scale, older consumers are less likely to agree - fewer than two in five consumers aged 55 years and above (38%) say they are more likely to buy from a brand that advertises kickbacks for charities.
Further, 55+ year olds are also the most likely across age cohorts (41%) to say a brand’s advertisement about donating to a charitable cause will make no difference on their decision to purchase from the brand - a sentiment that’s comparatively less prevalent among younger consumers.
Looking at data from individual markets, we see that consumers in Indonesia account for the largest proportion of those across markets (68%) who say they are more likely to purchase from brands that advertise a portion of their sales will go to charity. UAE (66%), India (62%) and Mexico (60%) are top markets where consumers are most likely to share this sentiment. In Europe, consumers in Spain (50%) are the most likely to agree.
Germans (28%), Danes (33%) and Americans (34%) are among those who are the least likely to agree.
Among those who say donations to charity makes no difference on whether or not they will buy from the brand, Britons lead (47%), followed by Singaporeans (44%). Germans (43%), Australians (43%), Hong Kongers (43%).
Finally, one in ten Germans (10%) say they are less likely to buy from a brand that says it will donate part of its sales to charity, closely followed by Indians (9%) and Danes (8%). For these people, perhaps charity begins at home and not in the supermarket.
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Methodology: YouGov Surveys: Serviced provide quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. The data is based on surveys of adults aged 18+ years in 17 markets with sample sizes varying between 501 and 2023 for each market. All surveys were conducted online in December 2023. 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 Surveys: Serviced.
Image: Getty Images