•Publication Date：03/23/2012
•Source： Taiwan Today
•By Grace Kuo
Ethical shopping in Taiwan remained strong last year, with 47 percent of local consumers willing to pay more for products where a percentage of the proceeds is donated to charity, according to a survey released March 21 by MasterCard Inc.
The latest figure is slightly higher than the 44-percent rate found in the same survey a year ago, MasterCard noted.
“It’s heartening to see from the results of the MasterCard survey that more and more Taiwan consumers care about the ethical implications of the products they buy,” said Julie Yang, head of Taiwan MasterCard Worldwide. “Moreover, the survey shows they are increasingly willing to donate a portion of their earned income to good causes, such as children’s education.”
According to the poll, 60 percent of consumers contributed to charity in 2011, 7 percent more than in 2010. “Affinity toward social organizations also increased, with the greatest affinity being shown toward local natural disaster relief, followed by children’s health and education,” MasterCard said.
In addition, the report showed that 56 percent of consumers were willing to pay more for environmentally friendly products in 2011, up 4 percent from 2010, while 49 percent were likely to pay for products that abide by fair trade principles.
The survey was conducted through online interviews between Dec. 5, 2011, and Jan. 6, 2012. Five hundred consumers in Taiwan were interviewed, according to MasterCard.
