2021 ESG Survey

In addition to the trust clients place in their advisers when it comes to ESG investing, nearly one-third (31%) of those who received product recommendations perceive their adviser’s knowledge and expertise on the matter to be very good. Nearly two-thirds (65%) rate their adviser knowledge as being good. Generation Z investors are more likely to believe their advisers have deep expertise in the ESG arena – 47% perceive their advisers’ knowledge to be very good. These are also the least experienced investors, so they may be more likely to take their advisers’ word at face value.

Main barriers to clients’ ESG investing

Lack of knowledge/ exper�se

39%

Lack of informa�on/ data about ESG

38%

Lack of ESG products

28%

Lack of transparency

25%

23%

High cost

Q10. What do you consider as the top 3 barriers when investing in ESG? Select up to 3 answers. Only top 5 answers displayed. Italy was not included last year.

Despite active ESG engagement and investment in these products, lack of knowledge and expertise (39%) as well as lack information and data about ESG (38%) remain the top barriers to further investment in this area. A greater proportion of older investors cite these issues as being a challenge (Lack of knowledge/expertise: Baby boomers – 46%; Generation X - 37%. Lack of information/data about ESG: Baby boomers – 44%; Generation X - 39%). Cost has become less of a concern this year, dropping to 23% from 34% in 2020. This could indicate that investors have become more willing to pay for quality products.

One could question why this expertise and knowledge gap persists, when the majority of clients perceives their adviser’s knowledge on ESG to be at least good. The answer to this lies in understanding the efficacy of advice and how this can be further enhanced.

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2021 Nordea ESG Survey

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