Strong belief that social responsibility is profitable for companies

Six out of ten in Sweden believe that companies that take a social responsibility will become more profitable than companies that do not. As consumers, Swedes also have a relatively high awareness of environmental, climate and social issues. At the same time there are very few who consider these issues when purchasing equities and mutual funds.

According to a survey, made by Argument AB on behalf of Swedbank Robur, 65 per cent of the Swedish population believes that companies that are engaged within social responsibility will in the long run become more profitable than companies that do not. When people in Sweden are purchasing goods and services, it is also common to think about what responsibilities the companies are taking with regards to environmental, climate and social issues. 49 per cent consider it sometimes, 24 percent often consider it and 5 percent always consider it. At the same time 40 percent said that they never consider these issues when purchasing equities or mutual funds. “The results show that corporate environmental and social responsibility are issues that Swedes regard as important but not decisive when purchasing equities or mutual funds. Here the financial industry has a big responsibility. We need to become better at educating and also make it easier for our customers to make the same conscious choices when they buy equities and funds as they do when they buy ecological food, said Camilla Robinson Seippel, Head of Public Affairs, Swedbank. The survey also shows that the desire to help and donate money to nonprofit organisations remains strong. The group that is most favorable in their opinions towards non-profit organisations are young people between the age of 16 and 29 years, where as many as 83 percent have a positive attitude. Least positive are people between the age of 45 and 59 years, where 64 percent have a positive attitude. At the same time people that are older state that they have donated more money during the past six months than younger people state that they have done. The organisations Médecins Sans Frontières, Save the Children and The Red Cross are the top three organisations that people would choose if they were to donate money today. Although the fundamental attitude regarding non-profit organisations is positive, the survey also shows that there is a concern regarding whether the donated money actually reaches the intended projects. 26 percent of the respondents say they have little or no confidence at all that the money donated to nonprofit organisations actually reaches the people and the projects they were intended for. Further information, please contact: Camilla Robinson Seippel, Head of Public Affairs, Swedbank, phone: +46 70 423 54 04 Anna Sundblad, Press Manager, Swedbank, phone: +46 70 321 39 95