Study: Aussies Want To Do More For The Environment But Need More Help

Study: Aussies Want To Do More For The Environment But Need More Help
B&T Magazine
Edited by B&T Magazine



Independent agency The Media Precinct Group conducted a survey of more than 20 thousand people across six countries that found Australians want to do more for the environment but are seeking more guidance on how to achieve it.

An average of 86 per cent of respondents across Australia, USA, UK, China, South Africa, and Germany believe in global warming.

But only 18 per cent in Australia suggested enough is being done for the environment, compared with:

  • 22 per cent in the USA.
  • 20.0 per cent in UK.
  • 21 per cent in South Africa.
  • 33 per cent in Germany.
  • 60 per cent in China, despite being the world’s largest emitter.

The research also found:

  • · There’s growing concerned about climate change in the past 12 months, 59 per cent increase in Australia,
  •  Not a single company was named in any six markets as a leader on climate change. Instead, all countries bar China named Greenpeace as leading the charge.
  •  COVID-19 lockdowns have caused a shift in people’s perceptions toward how well the environment can recover on its own from man-made problems.
  • When it comes to government performance on climate issues, generally people are complacent or approve only ‘a little’ of their government’s actions.
  • Petrol/fuel industries, manufacturers, and rubbish disposal companies scored among the highest when asked which corporate sectors are most responsible for protecting the environment.

Media Precinct, managing director Glenda Wynyard, said:  “What we’ve found is there is an appetite to do more, but Australians broadly are still price-conscious.

“Australians may be concerned about car emissions or using more sustainable products, but they still have a price point.

“The public has been trained, by marketers, to believe that disposable products, lower prices and instant convenience matters.

“It’s time advertisers start genuinely educating consumers not just about what environmental work they do, but why that work is helping combat climate change and how the public can play an active role in the organisation’s desire to contribute to sustainable practices.

“It needs to be in a way that makes sense to the average person as the public needs to be engaged for any communications in this sector to resonate and provide real brand value.

“I look at a brand like Qantas who is doing some really good work but is missing the opportunity to show it.

“Asking customers to ‘Tick-the-Box’ and pay an extra $1 to carbon offset their flight without explaining the extent of Qantas’ environmental work leaves people feeling like it is an incremental profit line for the airline.

“If they better-educated customers on initiatives like their Future Planet program that provides a carbon offsetting solution for businesses, or their involvement in protecting the Great Barrier Reef and work with Indigenous communities, more people would likely get on board.”




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Glenda Wynyard Media Precinct Group

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