Climate, water and food security fears appear on the consumer radar

Consumers are more worried about climate change today than ever before. According to new research results from the 2022 Mintel Consulting Sustainability Barometer, the number of global consumers citing climate change as a top 3 environmental concern has risen from an average of 39% to 49% between 2021 and 2022. This places the topic as “the world’s highest environmental priority” among consumers.

Associated concerns over water and food shortages are also evident. 31% of respondents expressed apprehension over water shortages in 2022, compared to 27 % in 2021. There has been a 5% rise in the number of people who reported fears over food shortages, a figure that jumped to 23% in 2022. “The fact that concerns around climate change, and water and food shortages are being prioritised ahead of previous preoccupations with waste and plastic pollution, points towards the emergence of a more informed and hardened global consumer” – explained Richard Cope, Mintel’s senior trends consultant.

Does this reported anxiety translate to behavioural changes? Mintel’s research demonstrates that just under 3 in 5 consumers globally agree now that extreme weather events such as flooding and heat waves in the country where they live encourage them “to do more things to protect the environment.” //