Sustainable investments in retreat: interest drops by 10%!

Sustainable investments in retreat: interest drops by 10%!

Interest in sustainable investments in Germany has experienced a significant decline. A current survey from the comparison portal Verivox shows that only 64% of savers are interested in investments with minimum ecological, social and ethical standards. Compared to the previous year, this is a decrease of 5 percentage points, after a similar trend had already been observed in the previous two years: in 2022 it was 79% and in 2023 69% of those surveyed.

The evaluation also shows that only 16% of participants actually invest in sustainable financial products. This represents a reduced proportion compared to the 21% of the previous year. In particular, discussions about climate protection and sustainability seem to be losing traction in society; Only around 20% of those surveyed now consider climate protection and the energy transition to be urgent political challenges, whereas this proportion used to be between 40 and 50%.

Demographic differences and interests

The decline in interest in sustainable investments is not uniformly distributed across all age groups and regions. Young adults under 30 show the highest interest at 81%. In contrast, disinterest is very pronounced among people over 70: only 50% of this group are interested in ESG investments. There are also regional differences: In East Germany, 44% of those surveyed said they were not interested, while in West Germany this proportion is 36%.

In addition, interests also vary between households with children and households without children. 40% of those surveyed without children are disinterested, while this is significantly lower among families with children. This shows that the living situation has a significant influence on the perception and prioritization of sustainable investments.

Criteria for sustainable investments

When selecting their investments, interested savers attach great importance to ethical criteria. Around 55% of those surveyed who are interested in sustainable investments are willing to forego returns in order to comply with these sustainability standards. The most important criteria for sustainable investments are:

• Verzicht auf ausbeuterische Arbeitsbedingungen (37%)
• Verzicht auf Tierversuche (37%)
• Schonender Umgang mit Ressourcen (29%)
• Investitionen in erneuerbare Energien (27%)
• Ausschluss von Glücksspiel (22%)
• Ausschluss von Rüstungsinvestitionen (20%)

But despite increased awareness about sustainability, many investors have concerns. Around 23% of those surveyed are unsure whether their investments actually meet the sustainability criteria, which is further reinforced by the lack of uniform standards in the industry. Quality seals such as the FNG seal offer assistance, but the test criteria vary considerably.

Overall, the survey by: daily news that the trend towards greater integration of sustainability criteria into investments is made more difficult by various social and economic factors. While there is a need and awareness for sustainable investments, it remains to be seen how this development will develop in the future.