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Comparing those who do, might and will not invest in sustainable funds: a survey among German retail fund investors

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  • Anett Wins

    (University of Augsburg)

  • Bernhard Zwergel

    (University of Kassel)

Abstract

In this paper, we present the results of an online questionnaire among private German mutual fund investors. In an exploratory nature, we empirically analyze the differences between three groups: sustainable investors, conventional investors that are either generally interested or those that are not interested at all to invest in socially responsible (SR) funds. We provide evidence on motives and attitudes of these three investor groups, showing that SR fund investors are quite similar to those interested in investing sustainably and very different from those who only consider investing conventionally. All three groups agree that sustainable actions of a company affect its stock price positively. Yet, they all believe that SR funds perform worse than conventional funds. Nevertheless, some still invest in SR funds. Consequently, different motives and attitudes are the determining factors when it comes to making an investment decision. These differences will be extensively discussed on the following pages.

Suggested Citation

  • Anett Wins & Bernhard Zwergel, 2016. "Comparing those who do, might and will not invest in sustainable funds: a survey among German retail fund investors," Business Research, Springer;German Academic Association for Business Research, vol. 9(1), pages 51-99, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:busres:v:9:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1007_s40685-016-0031-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s40685-016-0031-x
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    Cited by:

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    2. Gunnar Friede, 2019. "Why don't we see more action? A metasynthesis of the investor impediments to integrate environmental, social, and governance factors," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(6), pages 1260-1282, September.
    3. Lars Hornuf & Eliza Stenzhorn & Tim Vintis, 2022. "Are sustainability-oriented investors different? Evidence from equity crowdfunding," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 47(6), pages 1662-1689, December.
    4. Gunnar Gutsche & Bernhard Zwergel, 2016. "Information barriers and SRI market participation – Can sustainability and transparency labels help?," MAGKS Papers on Economics 201624, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    5. Daniel Brodback & Nadja Guenster & David Mezger, 2019. "Altruism and egoism in investment decisions," Review of Financial Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 37(1), pages 118-148, January.
    6. Gunnar Gutsche & Miwa Nakai & Toshi H. Arimura, 2021. "Individual Sustainable Investment in Japan," RIEEM Discussion Paper Series 2006, Research Institute for Environmental Economics and Management, Waseda University.
    7. Sisi Zheng & Shanyue Jin, 2023. "Can Enterprises in China Achieve Sustainable Development through Green Investment?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-25, January.
    8. Joel Diener & André Habisch, 2022. "Developing an Impact-Focused Typology of Socially Responsible Fund Providers," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-18, July.
    9. Blankenberg, Ann-Kathrin & Gottschalk, Jonas F. A., 2018. "Is socially responsible investing (SRI) in stocks a competitive capital investment? A comparative analysis based on the performance of sustainable stocks," University of Göttingen Working Papers in Economics 349, University of Goettingen, Department of Economics.
    10. Nikolas Höhnke, 2020. "Doing Good or Avoiding Evil? An Explorative Study of Depositors’ Reasons for Choosing Social Banks in the Pre and Post Crisis Eras," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-26, December.
    11. Gunnar Gutsche, 2019. "Individual and Regional Christian Religion and the Consideration of Sustainable Criteria in Consumption and Investment Decisions: An Exploratory Econometric Analysis," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 157(4), pages 1155-1182, July.
    12. Ida Ayu Agung Faradynawati & Inga-Lill Söderberg, 2022. "Sustainable Investment Preferences among Robo-Advisor Clients," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-16, October.
    13. Kristin Heinemann & Bernhard Zwergel & Stefan Gold & Stefan Seuring & Christian Klein, 2018. "Exploring the Supply-Demand-Discrepancy of Sustainable Financial Products in Germany from a Financial Advisor’s Point of View," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-20, March.
    14. Marszk, Adam & Lechman, Ewa, 2024. "What drives sustainable investing? Adoption determinants of sustainable investing exchange-traded funds in Europe," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 63-82.
    15. Seifert, Marcel & Spitzer, Florian & Haeckl, Simone & Gaudeul, Alexia & Kirchler, Erich & Palan, Stefan & Gangl, Katharina, 2024. "Can information provision and preference elicitation promote ESG investments? Evidence from a large, incentivized online experiment," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    16. Lagerkvist, C.J. & Edenbrandt, A.K. & Tibbelin, I. & Wahlstedt, Y., 2020. "Preferences for sustainable and responsible equity funds - A choice experiment with Swedish private investors," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 28(C).
    17. Joel Diener & André Habisch, 2022. "God’s Stewards: A Global Overview of Christian-Influenced Mutual Fund Providers," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-24, November.
    18. Gunnar Gutsche & Andreas Ziegler, 2016. "Are private investors willing to pay for sustainable investments? A stated choice experiment," MAGKS Papers on Economics 201640, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    19. Brunen, Ann-Christine & Laubach, Oliver, 2022. "Do sustainable consumers prefer socially responsible investments? A study among the users of robo advisors," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    20. Gutsche, Gunnar & Nakai, Miwa & Arimura, Toshi H., 2021. "Revisiting the determinants of individual sustainable investment—The case of Japan," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 30(C).
    21. Antonio Chamorro‐Mera & María Manuela Palacios‐González, 2019. "Socially responsible investment: An analysis of the structure of preferences of savers," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(6), pages 1423-1434, November.
    22. Gunnar Gutsche & Bernhard Zwergel, 2020. "Investment Barriers and Labeling Schemes for Socially Responsible Investments," Schmalenbach Business Review, Springer;Schmalenbach-Gesellschaft, vol. 72(2), pages 111-157, April.
    23. Gutsche, Gunnar & Ziegler, Andreas, 2019. "Which private investors are willing to pay for sustainable investments? Empirical evidence from stated choice experiments," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 193-214.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Ethical investors; Sustainable investors; Pro-social attitudes; Socially responsible investment; SRI; Survey;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions

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