New Global Issues Index
Reveals Gap between Consumer
Worries Vs. Corporate Business
Concerns
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--A new global study
released today reveals
a surprising gap between true
consumer concerns vs. what
businesses believe are the
most pressing issues of the
day. While consumers tend to
be most worried about issues
that personally affect them
and their families such as
food, safety and health, most
businesses are more concerned
about what they can do to
apply new technology to their
business models, according to
the release of the first-ever
Burson-Marsteller Global
Issues Index, which tracks the
importance of more than 100
issues on a worldwide basis.
“Despite the strong
interest in international
politics and the global
marketplace, this survey shows
that what matters most are the
basics: the cost of food,
availability of healthcare and
growing threats to privacy,”
said Mark Penn, President &
CEO, Burson-Marsteller
Worldwide. “The signal here
may be that people worry more
about things that affect their
lives directly than about
things that affect society as
a whole.”
Although business leaders
and the general public did
share some concerns, the top
concerns of the average member
of the general public were:
costs of healthcare (77%),
food (75%) and energy (75%)
and identity theft (76%).
Business leaders were most
concerned about the cost of
technology (55%),
affordability of technology to
allow them to stay ahead of
competition (53%), ability of
hackers to break into company
computer systems (53%) and the
cost of energy and impact on
profit (53%).
“As we look at these
issues, we think the
opportunity exists for
companies to step up and take
on some of the basic issues –
world hunger, accessible
healthcare, protecting
personal privacy and security
– while also satisfying their
core business objectives,”
said Ame Wadler, Chief
Strategic Officer,
Burson-Marsteller.
Among the top 75 issues
ranked by the public as being
of concern to them,
surprisingly terrorism ranks
only at number 14 and is
expressed in the context of
“the ability of terrorists to
use technology to gain control
of our public infrastructure,
such as the public water or
electric system.” Amongst
business leaders, the issue of
terrorism does not appear
until number 33.
Societal and cultural
issues are also reflected in
the global survey. The general
public in Asia is most worried
about their aging population
and healthcare costs. Personal
privacy was also important to
the Asian public, for example,
the impact of personal
photographs or videos
appearing on the internet
without their knowledge. Only
the US public is concerned
about its aging population,
but in the true context of how
Americans would support their
aging citizens. And, despite
news coverage of terrorism,
only Europe included an issue
of terrorism in their top 10
concerns.
|
Top 10 Global
Consumer Issues
|
|
|
|
1. Ability to pay
for healthcare for
myself or family
|
|
2. Identity theft
|
|
3. Cost of foods
|
|
4. Alternative fuel
sources for homes
and cars
|
|
5. Ability of
hackers to break
into a personal
computer
|
|
6. Identifying new
automotive
technologies to
reduce dependence on
foreign oil and
preserve environment
|
|
7. Ability of the
government or
employer to provide
adequate health
benefits
|
|
8. Ability to access
advanced medical
care and technology
|
|
9. Ability of
countries to provide
clean water
|
|
10. Practicing a
healthy lifestyle
|
|
Top 10 Global
Business Leader
Issues
|
|
|
|
1. The cost of
technology
|
|
2. Affordability of
staying ahead of
competitors using
the latest
technology
|
|
3. Ability of
hackers to break
into company
computer systems
|
|
4. Cost of energy
and impact on profit
|
|
5. Ability to use
technology to reach
customers in a
fruitful manner
|
|
6. Improved
solutions to backing
up and storing
company data
|
|
7. Leveraging
technology
effectively to
enable a more
satisfying/productive
work environment for
employees
|
|
8. Leveraging
technology to
enhance reputation
and innovation
|
|
9. Ensuring
appropriate employee
behavior
|
|
10. Increasing
healthcare costs
requiring the
government or
employees to pass on
a greater share of
the costs to
employees
|
