2022 RIA Investor Opinion Survey

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The 2022 RIA Investor Opinion Survey, which is based on an Ipsos poll of 1,005 individual investors in Canada, found that 74% of respondents are concerned about biodiversity loss, with 68% agreeing that it was important for companies in their portfolios to commit to preventing biodiversity loss.

Investors’ concern about greenwashing remained steady at 75%, similar to what was expressed in 2021. In a year characterized by greenwashing headlines, 78% of respondents agreed that there needs to be increased scrutiny in the investment industry around greenwashing. Despite these concerns, 76% of respondents agreed that RI can have a real impact on the economy and contribute to positive change for society.

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The survey, sponsored by AGF Investments Inc. and Desjardins Group, also shows that 73% of respondents want their financial services provider to inform them about responsible investments (RI) that are aligned with their values, while only 31% said they had ever been asked if they were interested. About one-third of respondents said they currently own responsible investments, similar to the last 3 years.

Additional Highlights:

  • Most respondents are interested in RI, with 64% expressing interest. Younger respondents generally are more interested than those aged 55+, while female respondents are more interested than their male counterparts.
  • 70% of respondents know little or nothing about RI, including one-quarter that have never heard of it. Levels of RI knowledge have flattened off in the past 2 years.
  • Looking ahead, 40% of respondents said they were now more likely to choose RI than one year ago, while 44% said they were neither more nor less likely than one year ago.
  • The majority of respondents were concerned about biodiversity loss, with 74% saying they were either very or somewhat concerned. Additionally, 68% of respondents agreed that it was either very or somewhat important that companies are committed to preventing biodiversity loss.
  • 75% of respondents said they were either very or somewhat concerned about greenwashing, similar to the level expressed in 2021. Meanwhile, 78% of respondents either strongly or somewhat agreed that there needs to be increased regulation and scrutiny in the investment industry to combat greenwashing.

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