| • 31% of UK investors prefer to invest in ethical/sustainable investments even if it reduces their financial return. • 56% of those aged 30-44 care that their investments are sustainable, in comparison to 18% of 65–80-year-olds. • Women put slightly more importance on how ethical their investments are, compared to men (33% vs 29%). |
A third of UK adults would prioritise ethical or sustainable investments even if it meant lower returns, according to a new analysis from Rathbones, a leading UK wealth and asset management group.
The poll of over 3,000 UK adults finds this view most common among 30–44-year-olds, with 56% of respondents in this age group saying sustainable investing is their priority. Support falls progressively across older age groups to just 18% in the 65+ age group for whom ethics are the priority.
Women also place slightly more importance on how ethical their investments are than men (33% vs 29%). More broadly, the Rathbones research suggests that the wealthier you are, the more likely you are to prefer your investments to be sustainable.
David Harrison, Head of Sustainability for Rathbones Asset Management says: “This response highlights the appeal ethical and sustainable investment strategies continue to offer for many investors and the importance of values-based options in the market.
“We believe that ethical and sustainable strategies allow consumers to generate strong long-term risk adjusted returns without sacrificing their core values. We continue to see growing demand for sustainable investment strategies globally and expect this trend to remain consistent going forward.”
While sustainability is playing a part in investors’ decisions, there is growing recognition that you cannot view financial and sustainability factors in isolation.
Harrison continues: “Structural issues such as the energy transition and water risk have not diminished. By accessing sustainable investment strategies, consumers are allocating more capital to help provide solutions to these systemic problems. While there may be shorter term performance trade-offs, we view the long-term opportunities as significant.”
Survey results by age
Statement provided in survey for response: “I prefer to invest in ethical/sustainable investments even if it reduces my financial return.”
| Age group | % that agreed with the statement |
| 30-44 | 56% |
| 45–54 | 47% |
| 55–64 | 28% |
| 65–80 | 18% |
Survey results by gender
| Gender | % that agreed with the statement |
| Female | 33% |
| Male | 29% |
Survey results by level of assets
| Level of assets | % that agreed with the statement |
| £25k-£250k | 31% |
| £250k-£500k | 27% |
| £500k-£1m | 34% |
| £1m-£2.5m | 36% |
| £2.5m+ | 42% |
Ends
