Survey: Plateaued SDGs awareness and support for SDGs companies

INTAGE, a company that provides support for corporate marketing activities, has been conducting a sustainability awareness survey since 2020. The survey uses ten questions about sustainable behavior and categorizes respondents into four groups based on their level of engagement in sustainable behavior: Super, High, Moderate, and Low.

The data for this research was collected through a voluntary online survey conducted by INTAGE in December 2022. The survey was conducted nationwide, including 10,004 male and female participants aged 15 to 69. The results were analyzed and can be summarized in four key findings.

Firstly, the proportion of people engaging in sustainable behavior has plateaued compared to last year. The proportion of the highly sustainable Super + High group, coined as the “sustainable active group,” increased from 2020 to 2021 but decreased by 1.9 points (33.8% to 31.9%) in the December 2022 survey, indicating a decline. According to INTAGE’s January 2023 self-planning survey, the recognition rate of the SDGs was around 80%, and the proportion of sustainable active people remains constant around 30%.

Secondly, both young and elderly people of both genders have a high degree of sustainability. The “U-shaped” sustainable active group consists of men in their teens, 20s, and 60s and women in their teens, 40s to 60s. In contrast, men in their 30s and 50s and women in their 20s and 30s have a low degree of sustainability. Women in their 60s have the highest proportion of sustainable active people at 56.9%.

It is believed that the younger generation is heavily influenced by SDGs education in schools, and as efforts are made to continue this education, the proportion of actions taken “for society, the global environment, and future generations” is expected to increase in the long term.

Thirdly, when choosing products and services, consumers consider both benefits to themselves and the realization of a better society and environment. When asked whether “realizing a better society and environment” or “benefits to oneself” is more important when choosing products and services, all categories answered positively. This response was particularly high for “daily necessities (consumables)” and “vehicles,” with 12.2% choosing products that “realize a better society and environment” and 26.7% choosing products that “realize both a better society and their own benefits.” For cars, 14.1% chose products that “realize a better society and environment” and 26.4% chose products that “realize both a better society and their own benefits.” This indicates that about 30% of consumers are choosing products and services with an awareness of realizing a better society and environment, rather than just based on their own benefits.

Finally, about 50% of people who are aware of the SDGs are “interested in the SDGs,” and feel that they “want to work on them themselves” and “want to support companies working on them.” Additionally, 40% of people are interested in purchasing or using SDGs-related products and services. Consumers support the activities of companies that are proactive in tackling the SDGs, and by purchasing SDGs-compatible products produced by these companies, consumers can contribute to society and the environment.

INTAGE’s survey indicate that while the proportion of people engaging in sustainable behavior has plateaued, both young and elderly people of both genders have a high degree of sustainability. Consumers are considering both benefits to themselves and the realization of a better society and environment.

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