Essity wanted to build on research which they had conducted earlier in the year relating to sustainability habits, after the Government announced the rise in national insurance contributions coupled with other cost of living rises based on the energy crisis and increasing food bills in September 2021. The aim was to see if people would continue with any sustainability habits despite a rise in the cost of living and which habits would no longer be a priority for people. The survey also focused on the general impact of cost of living rising and inability to afford basic bills/financial struggles.
OnePoll surveyed 2000 UK adults with 100 respondents with 20 major cities as their nearest city (Including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Belfast) in late September-mid October 2021. The data was collected with an online poll using the OnePoll panel. The results of previous research conducted by Essity with another research agency were also looked at for the report.
Some of the key findings from the survey, include that more than three quarters (77%) of those polled were worried about the cost of living rise, with 46% saying this cost in living increase will mean they can’t afford to live sustainably now.
Despite this 70% want to continue/start to be sustainable with their habits now. Just over half (51%) will look for cheaper alternatives to be able to do so.
Thinking back to 6 months before the survey, 75% say that purchasing environmentally friendly or sustainably sourced options was a priority for them, compared to 70% at the time of the survey.
OnePoll provided standard data tables as well as an executive summary including the OnePoll data as well as Essity’s previous data, to establish any change across time.
Using the executive summary, the Oath team created an online report for the client showcasing the survey data. View the report at https://essitygreenresponse.uk
“OnePoll research powered our Green Response campaign, revealing that two-thirds of the nation would like to live more sustainably but are unable to do so due to the rising costs of living. Their team brought the research findings to life with a great interactive microsite that acted as the central hub for the campaign. We’d highly recommend OnePoll’s services, the team are helpful, friendly, and extremely knowledgeable.” Gareth Lucy – Communications Manager UK & ROI, Essity UK