Most Thailand consumers say companies should prioritise environment over profits: survey

Sandpiper's 2022 Consumer Expectations Index for Asia Pacific looked at expectations consumers have of public and private sector organisations and their leaders around sustainability issues. It was based on a survey of 6,000 consumers across 11 markets in the region.

Consumers in Thailand ranked governments (92 per cent) as being the most responsible for solving sustainability issues, with publicly listed companies ranked second (89 per cent), ahead of NGOs (84 per cent) and private companies (83 per cent).

This was also reflected in responses on which individuals have the most power over sustainability issues with 53 per cent ranking heads of state as the most powerful, followed by government ministers (23 per cent), consumers themselves (9 per cent), and CEOs (4 per cent).

However, while consumers in Thailand believe they are making the strongest contribution to environmental sustainability (18 per cent), they see the government as the greatest underperformer (38 per cent).

Climate change no longer a debate

The research reveals that an overwhelming 99 per cent of consumers in Thailand believe climate change is a reality, with just 1 per cent saying otherwise. This is despite only 44 per cent saying they have a strong understanding of climate change.

When asked about their feelings about climate change, the top emotions were concern (47 per cent) frustration (19 per cent), satisfied (16 per cent) with a further 13 per cent saying they feel guilty that they are not personally doing enough to help address it.

Selected sectors and issues in the spotlight

People in Thailand are among the most concerned regionally about poverty (58 per cent), unemployment (48 per cent), climate change (47 per cent), and ocean pollution (47 per cent) in this year's survey.

Looking specifically at sectors, more than 1 in 10 consumers see five sectors as irresponsible or non-compliant when it comes to regulation, the worst performing sectors are: mining (19 per cent), government and public service (13 per cent), NGOs (12 per cent), education (10 per cent) and construction and engineering (10 per cent).

Language matters

While 88 per cent of consumers surveyed in Thailand say they have at least an average understanding of what sustainability means, only 39 per cent have a strong understanding. Fewer also have an average level of understanding of more technical terms including Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at 85 per cent, Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) at 80 per cent – showing that talking to consumers about these issues in everyday, non-technical language is important.

While the underlying issues that are sought to be addressed by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are of wide concern, only 68 per cent of consumers in Thailand have heard of them.

Sandpiper CEO Emma Smith said: “As global sustainability challenges continue to grow, we see increasing expectations on all organisations and individuals to act. While governments are shouldering the weight of solving sustainability challenges, increasingly consumers see both private companies and themselves as critical to solutions and they have a growing appetite to learn more and be involved. While understanding of more technical areas of sustainability remains low, organisations should be preparing for consumer knowledge and scrutiny to increase in the coming years as interest grows across every age group and demographic."