The majority of Malaysians worry about the environment but only one in five is willing to pay more for eco-friendly products, according to the Nielsen 2011 Global Online Environment and Sustainability Survey.
The survey polled over 25,000 Internet respondents in 51 countries.
It said the huge disparity between environmental concerns and price sensitivity placed Malaysians as the second least likely group among their Asean counterparts to pay more for eco-friendly products.
Survey results showed 38% of people said they would buy cheaper non-eco-friendly products despite preferring eco-friendly products.
Another 41% said they would buy whatever was cheapest, on promotion or better value for their money.
Nielsen Malaysia managing director Kow Kuan Hua said the high prices of eco-friendly products such as organic food were a hindrance to Malaysian consumers.
“They are also concerned about other push factors such as the economy, rising living and fuel costs, which will drive them to buy cheaper options,” he said.
However, the survey also revealed that Malaysians had a positive view of retailers and manufacturers with environmentally-sustainable practices, with 52% saying they would be influenced to shop and buy from them.
Nine out of 10 Malaysians surveyed also expressed great concern over air pollution, water pollution and global warming.
This put Malaysia in ninth position among all the countries surveyed in terms of consumer worries about the impact of air pollution and global warming.
