Many consumers carefully chose the products which best serve the local society. — Photo vietpress.vn

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Vietnamese consumers rank among the world's most socially conscious when it comes to purchasing goods and services, revealed a survey by global information and insights company Nielsen on July 2.

The company's survey also found that the majority of Vietnamese consumers checked product packaging to gauge the brands' commitment to making a positive social and environmental impact. Nielsen conducted the online survey over the course of a month by polling 30,000 consumers in 60 countries across Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and North America to find out how much consumers care about sustainable practices when it comes to selecting their purchases.

The survey found that 73 per cent of consumers in Viet Nam are more willing to pay extra for products and services that come from companies committed to making a positive social and environmental impact. Ranking third globally in this respect, the country trails behind the highest rate of 79 per cent, seen in the Philippines. Viet Nam comes out ahead of Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore on this issue.

"The propensity to buy socially and environmentally responsible brands is relatively strong across all of Southeast Asia, particularly in the emerging markets of the Philippines, Viet Nam and Thailand, where many consumers are faced with extreme levels of poverty and frequently encounter the impact of natural and environmental disasters," noted Vishal Bali, Nielsen's managing director of Consumer Insights in Southeast Asia, North Asia and the Pacific.

According to the survey, Vietnamese consumers also support brands that are making a genuine effort with social responsibility initiatives. Over the past six months, 68 per cent of local consumers purchased at least one product or service because it was manufactured by a company committed to making a positive social and environmental impact.

Vishal Bali added that enterprises should note that "in Viet Nam and many other Asian countries, the value of social responsibility and giving back to society is an important part of the existing culture, and this is having an influence on their purchasing decisions." —VNS