Social Media Users Willing to Pay More when Company is Responsible

Social media users are more ethically and environmentally aware, in relation to their pattern of consumption. This is the conclusion we can draw from a global poll among 28.000 people. The globescan survey reveals that regular users of social media are more willing to reward or punish companies for their being or not being ethically responsible:

In particular, the survey found that while 24 per cent of non-social media users said they had rewarded a socially responsible company, the figure was significantly higher – 31 per cent – among regular social media users.

Reward for Responsible Companies

Companies in the field of sustainability rethinking their social media activities will be happy to hear about an increased consumer willingness to reward responsible companies financially:

This group [regular users of social media] is also more likely to say they regularly choose to pay extra for environmentally friendly or ethical products and services, only buy from responsible companies, and that they think socially and environmentally friendly products are of higher quality.

Internet Users More Environmentally Friendly

These findings confirm the results of another survey, that internet users in general behave more environmentally friendly than others. This is what British researchers found out, analyzing the Impact of Social Factors and Consumer Behavior on Carbon Dioxide Emissions:

[We] find that household types with large homes (LBHO) or large family sizes (LHHSIZE) and those that consist of single nonpensioners (LSING), of pensioners (LPENS), or of members of the National Trust (LNTRUST) are associated with higher emissions. The factors of education (LEDU), social housing (LSOCH), Internet usage (LINTER), and families with children (LFWC) seem to reduce emissions.

More Willing to Punish Bad Companies

However, assuming internet and social media users are well informed about the CSR of corporations, they are also more willing to put this knowledge into practice in negative terms.

[While] only 17 per cent of non-users said they had punished a socially irresponsible company by criticising them or boycotting their products, 23 per cent of social media users said they had done so.