Which country knows the most about sustainable investing?

Canadian investors exhibit limited knowledge compared to their global counterparts, ranking No. 20 when taking into account investors’ knowledge, attitude and behaviour regarding sustainable investing, finds the Global Investor Study released by Schroders.

The country that came out on top? Indonesia. Rounding out the top five, in order, are: India, the U.S., China and Brazil.

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And, while 89% of people have some idea of what sustainable investing is, their knowledge varies. More than half (53%) view it as investing in companies that are likely to be more profitable because they’re proactive in preparing for environmental and social changes; 46% see it as focusing on companies because they’re best-in-class when it comes to environmental or social issues or how the company is managed; and 23% view it as avoiding controversial companies (such as alcohol, tobacco or weapons manufacturing).

Read: Sustainable ways to offer responsible investing

Here are some additional findings:

• 78% say sustainable investing has become more important to them in the past five years.
• Two-thirds have increased their sustainable investments in the past five years.
• Millennials are the most interested in sustainable investing (86%).

About the study: More than 22,000 investors were surveyed across 30 countries. The research was conducted between June 1 and June 30.

Staff

The staff of Advisor.ca have been covering news for financial advisors since 1998.