The What Matters 2024 report launched by consultancy Human8 draws from qualitative conversations from a global insight community across ten markets, and contributions from more than 13,000 consumers surveyed across 17 markets.
Created in collaboration with Space Doctors, its strategic cultural and creative specialist team, the report
shares insights into consumer attitudes towards environmental sustainability and regenerative sustainability.
Regionally, it found that four out of five in the UAE shared concerns about the state of the planet for future generations.
Indeed, over 80 per cent agreed that the time has come to transition from “preventing further damage” to “reversing damage already done.”
Results from the survey also showed that nearly 90 per cent (88 per cent) believe brands should take responsibility for safeguarding the future of people and the planet, noting that they can’t make the world a better place on their own.
And while the percentage of those confident they are living sustainably was higher than those in EMEA markets such as France (7 per cent), Germany (10 per cent), South Africa (16 per cent) and the UK (7 per cent), this accounted for just 20 per cent.
When it comes to adopting more sustainable lifestyles, respondents said that they would if:
-Such options were “more easily available (45 per cent)
-The alternative options offered the same quality (42 per cent), and
-The positive impacts of such choices were made clear (41 per cent).
On the latter point, the report noted that this places the onus back on brands to do so. Indeed, Nine out of ten said brands need to provide more information about sustainability efforts. Sixty per cent also said that brands that don’t communicate about sustainability aren’t sustainable. This is especially interesting considering the rise of greenhushing among climate-conscious companies.
However, the report found that respondents in the UAE remain optimistic that the dial on sustainability can still be moved.
Forty-five per cent of UAE residents believe it’s not too late to reverse the damage done to global ecosystems.
Meanwhile, more than 80 per cent of those surveyed also subscribed to the notion that a “single, focused action can release a wave of change” – and shared a willingness to learn and understand what concrete actions they can take to create a better future for people and the planet.
Further, nearly six in every ten people surveyed in the UAE said that the time has come to “flip the script on diversity and inclusion” – rather than “wasting time and energy on fighting dominant norms and labels.”
The survey also showed that this is translating into action from some consumers, with 20 per cent saying they consciously buy from inclusive brands.
To access the full 2024 What Matters report, which includes worldwide data and examples, click here.