Somewhere between traditional corporate philanthropy and the emerging shared-value ideal, brands around the globe continue to align business and social interests through cause-marketing opportunities&8212;using social and environmental efforts to increase consumer engagement. IEG, a sponsorship consultancy, estimates that cause-marketing sponsorships reached $1.7 billion in 2012 in North America alone, and this investment will increase in 20131. But what percentage of consumers will take note and reward these efforts?

Nielsen's latest Global Survey on Corporate Social Responsibility of 29,000 Internet respondents in 58 countries examines the interaction between respondents who say they are willing to pay extra for products and services that give back to society and those that actually do so.

Because it's unlikely that all respondents who said they will spend more on goods and services from companies that implement programs to give back actually will spend more, we look at this metric as a broader proxy. For starters, it's unclear today how many opportunities consumers actually have to make this choice. At the moment of truth&8212;at the store, online and elsewhere&8212;consumers have little clarity around which companies have programs to give back and which don't. According to a study released by the European Commission earlier this year, just 36 percent of citizens felt they were informed about what companies do to behave responsibly toward society in their country2.

Still, 43 percent of global respondents in Nielsen's survey agreed they spent more on products and services from companies that have implemented programs to give back to society&8212;just 7 percent fewer than said they'd be willing. Men were slightly more likely to have done so than women (45% compared to 41%), and&8212;as with willingness&8212;younger respondents were more likely than older respondents to say that they've done so.

Source:nielsen