We preview the Eumetra research data. Very few people know the environmental and social impact of their savings, but given equal returns, 68% would choose a sustainable fund.
85% of Italians do not know the impact of their investments. But if they did, 68% would choose a form of investment – given equal returns – that takes sustainability into account.
Italian attitudes towards sustainable investments have been explored in a brand-new Eumetra Monterosa study, produced exclusively for Investimenti Sostenibili LifeGate: 'Osservatorio sugli atteggiamenti degli italiani nei confronti del risparmio e degli investimenti sostenibili'. We preview some of the data.
The most striking finding of the research – conducted on a statistically representative sample of the entire Italian population – is that 68% of Italians, given equal returns, would prefer the sustainable investment. Faced with two funds, one responsible and one not, a great many would choose the responsible one, as long as the returns are the same.
The result was by no means a foregone conclusion. It tells us that the majority of Italians, if given the choice between two investment opportunities – one that takes sustainability into account and one that does not – would prefer to place their savings in the hands of those who use them to generate a positive social or ecological impact. An even greater inclination to participate than the average is found among 18–34-year-olds, among 45–54-year-olds, among those with a degree or master's, and among residents in the North West.
Even more interesting is the detail when viewed through the lens of pragmatism, given that not everyone has substantial savings to invest. Indeed, among those who actually have the means to invest, given equal returns the proportion who would choose a sustainability-conscious form of investment rises to as high as 75%.
Naturally, a survey on the propensity to invest money cannot overlook how many people are actually in a position to do so today. Here, Eumetra tells us that 60% of Italians currently have no savings to invest. Full stop. With peaks of 73% among the very young and among people in their sixties. Among those who do have some savings in the bank, a cautious and static attitude prevails today: 23% keep the majority of their savings in liquid form. 13% already invest their savings (especially those in their forties and fifties) and only 4% invest the majority of them. It is well known that investing requires an open, attentive, informed and aware mindset. This means there is a great deal to be done in the field of information.
Sustainable investment aims to create value for the investor and for society by integrating both an attention to the environmental and social sustainability of the companies and institutions in which one invests, and an attention to financial aspects. Only 30% of Italians have already heard of responsible investments or actually have a good understanding of what they involve. In reality, of these, almost all lack in-depth knowledge. That is, they have gone no further than having read something about the topic, without this translating into a gesture or a concrete action in the way they manage their savings. 70% of people have never even heard of them, with peaks of low awareness among 35–44-year-olds, those aged over 65, and those with a low level of education.
When it comes to how people choose to invest their savings, the proportion of those who have absolutely no knowledge of the environmental and social impact of the companies or institutions they invest in is very high: 85%. 7% believe that the socio-environmental impact of their investments is in any case less important than the financial return. 8%, on the other hand, are aware of the impact and already take it into consideration.
Still in terms of information and awareness of the impact of one's money, reporting – that is, the production of a detailed account of the activities of bodies and companies – is a potentially useful tool for today's investors. It is 54% of savers who state that reporting on the sustainability benefits achieved would be a factor that would encourage them even further to choose sustainable investment.
In summarising the attitudes recorded among Italians on the subject of saving, Eumetra points to the emergence of an interesting profile of person who is certainly ready to consider sustainable investments. It calls them 'enthusiasts'. They account for 34% of the national sample. They are predominantly adults, with a medium-to-high level of education, entrepreneurs and self-employed professionals. What is more, they invest their savings at twice the national average rate.
The result intriguingly coincides with the latest research from the Osservatorio sulla sostenibilità 2016, according to which one third of Italians are fully aware of the importance of sustainability.
These are socially central figures who know about and take into account the environmental impact at three times the rate of the average, who would prefer the sustainable investment even if the return were lower than that of the non-sustainable option, and who care about having it reported in terms of sustainability.
So, if one third of the people surveyed proves more interested than average in knowing the social and environmental impact of their savings and would prefer sustainable investment, and if a further additional fifth is nonetheless inclined to consider a form of sustainable investment if it is advantageous, one can conclude that even today the majority of Italians are ready to invest their savings in a sustainable, responsible and conscious way.