Singapore, 8 December 2010 - More consumers across Asia/Pacific are shopping with a conscience, according to the results of the latest MasterCard survey on Ethical Spending. Social responsibility and sustainability remain high on the agenda for the region's shoppers with 70% of respondents saying that they made fair trade purchasing choices in the last two to three years. This is up from the region-wide figure of 66% last year. Some 55% of those polled also indicated that they were willing to pay more for products based on fair trade principles.
Thailand (95%), Malaysia (85%), and China (86%) continue to have the highest proportion of respondents who based their purchases on fair trade principles, showing an increase over the 2009 survey figures. They were also the top three markets for fair trade purchases in last year's survey.
The survey was conducted online from 3 September to 1 October 2010 and involved 8,500 consumers from 151 markets across Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa. The survey and its accompanying reports do not represent MasterCard financial performance.
The MasterCard survey also shows that 61% of respondents in Asia/Pacific bought items specifically because they were environmentally friendly, holding steady from the 62% in 2009. In fact, 61% of respondents across the region said they were willing to pay more for products that are environmentally friendly. Similarly, 56% of respondents said they were willing to pay more for products with a percentage of the sale being donated to a good cause.
"It is very encouraging to see that shopping with a conscience has taken root - our latest research shows that Asia/Pacific shoppers are not just focused on good buys, they are just as focused on doing good," said Georgette Tan, vice president, Communications, Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa, MasterCard Worldwide.
Understanding consumers' evolving sentiments and behavior, MasterCard has been focused on building a strong social responsibility and citizenship program across the region. To give cardholders a platform to shop ethically and responsibly, MasterCard launched MasterCard Purchase with PurposeT in 2009 to encourage this trend of shopping with a conscience. MasterCard Purchase with Purpose initiatives enable cardholders to play a part in giving back to the community whenever they use their MasterCard cards.
1 Markets surveyed include Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and United Arab Emirates.
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