Shoppers Care More About Animals Than Climate
According to this survey of 100,000 shoppers in the United Kingdom concerning consumer ethics, 21% think animal welfare is the most important issue, while 14% consider fair trade to be their biggest concern, and 4% rated climate change as their top ethical priority.
The key areas of consumer concern emerging from the survey include ethical trading (27%), animal welfare (25%), and environmental impact (22%). Shoppers’ worries about the environment are focused on issues other than climate change. Twice as many are concerned about the amount of packaging on their food as those who think global warming is the most important issue.
As an immediate consequence of the survey, the Co-op is halting sales of eggs from caged hens and will only be stocking free-range or organic eggs.