Emerging economy consumers more willing to act on environment than in the West: Accenture

15 January 2009

Consumers in emerging economies are more concerned and willing to act against climate change than those in developed countries, reveals a new global research by Accenture.

Although the economic crisis has not reduced worldwide concern about climate change, 53 per cent of people in emerging economies claim to be extremely concerned about it against only a third (31 per cent) in mature markets.

Consumers were interviewed for the Accenture End Consumer Observatory on Climate Change through an online survey conducted in native languages with 10,733 consumers in 22 countries worldwide, during September and October 2008.

In North America (1,732 interviewees), Western Europe (4,244 interviewees), Japan and Australia (1,100 interviewees), as well as in the emerging-economy countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China, Argentina, Chile and South Africa (3,657 interviewees).

The sample was representative of the general population in the different countries except in the emerging-economy countries, where a sample representative of each country's urban population was interviewed.

A majority (56 per cent) of people in emerging economies thinks climate change will certainly have a direct impact on their life against only 28 per cent in developed economies. Yet, 70 per cent of people in emerging economies are optimistic that climate change can be solved, against less than half (48 per cent) in developed economies.