By contrast, only 46 per cent of those surveyed in Japan indicated a similar inclination.
And while 90 per cent in both China and India stated a belief in the importance of buying socially responsible products and brands at all times, the figure dropped to 64 per cent in Japan.
Although social responsibility appeared to carry less sway in Japan than the other two markets, the environment was shown to be a major concern among all representatives: 88 per cent in India, 82 per cent in China and 68 per cent in Japan said that they felt the condition of the environment was the most pressing issue of the moment.
Edelman’s Asia Pacific president, Alan Vandermolen, explained that the slightly lower figures recorded for Japan were reflective of a “more normalised view”, in a developed country where CSR had been embedded in the culture for many years, as opposed to the enthusiasm from developing countries where environmental awareness was driven by personal issues such as clean drinking water.
He added that marketers should take note that “consumers are voting to support brands that are empathetic to issues in their communities’ backyards”, and that “citizen brands” that resonated locally were more likely to be perceived as successful and to form a bond with the public.