News

Web users identify most postively with term 'responsible investment' says new report

Finance | Vibeka Mair | 11 Mar 2010

The term 'responsible investment' is regarded positively with web surfers, while the term 'ethical investment' attracts some cynicism, according to a new report on how online communities regard investments which take environmental, social and governance factors into account.

Responsible Investment Online 2009 collected data from nearly 100 million blogs, social networks, online communities and other consumer generated media platforms over three months. Online conversation tracked had included at least one of the following search terms:

cleantech
environmental, social, governance (ESG) investment
ethical investment
green investment
responsible investment
socially responsible investment
sustainable investment

It found that the three terms attracting the most positive associations online were 'responsible investment' (74 per cent of conversations); 'cleantech' (69 per cent) and 'sustainable investment' (62 per cent).

'Ethical investment' was rated positively in 58 per cent of online conversations monitored, however the report noted that the term attracted some cynicism as "the concept ethical can vary significantly from person to person and it is not easily unpacked with clarity".

'Green investment' was the term most used in online conversations to encapsulate investments which took environmental, social and governance factors into account.

Further, the report uncovered a number of broad themes emerging in online conversations on responsible investment.

It found the global financial crisis had driven online conversations to have an increasingly global focus on sustainability, and a rise in the focus on companies to take a proactive environmental, social and governance approach.

Also, it found over ten million blog posts injected environmental, social, green, clean, responsible and governance concepts into investment conversations and decision-making.