Business Wire

IA-WORKIVA

25.5.2021 09:02:09 CEST | Business Wire | Press release

Share
The Power of Transparency: Individual Investors Demand ESG Data They Can Trust

Workiva Inc. (NYSE:WK) today released findings from a survey of individual investors that reveal approximately 70% of respondents believe organizations have a responsibility to demonstrate ESG performance to investors, with Gen Z and younger Millennial-aged investors (18-34 year-olds) the most demanding around ESG credentials. The survey revealed transparency around ESG disclosures is becoming integral to investor decisions, and companies will undoubtedly experience increased pressure from investors to be able to report on their progress.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210525005313/en/

“Our survey findings represent a powerful motivation for organizations to take a serious look at how they are reporting ESG and other non-financial data,” said Julie Iskow, chief operating officer of Workiva. “We believe there is a real competitive advantage in attracting today’s modern investors with a commitment to corporate transparency.”

Top Survey Trends:

Younger Investors Know What They Want . Awareness around ESG is especially high within the younger generation, with 84% being aware of ESG, and of this group nearly two-thirds (64%) claiming to know a lot about it.

  • ESG awareness was found to be most prevalent in Germany with 93% of investors under 34 years old noting they were already aware of ESG in investments.
  • In the United States 65% of Gen Z and Millennials state ESG in companies has become more important over the last year and will continue to become more important (69%) due to climate change.
  • Also, most pronounced in the U.S., 72% of 18–34 year-olds want to know whether a company lives up to their social and moral beliefs before they invest.

Difficulty in Trusting Data. When asked if they found it difficult to trust what companies are disclosing about what they’re doing for the environment and society, only 15% of respondents disagreed.

  • In addition, over 60% of respondents across all regions stated they find it difficult to judge whether companies are doing the right thing when it comes to the environment and society.

Data is the Key. Over one-third of survey respondents (43%) in all markets noted they trust ESG performance more when reported through numbers and data than qualitative descriptions — this increased to 54% for 18-34 year-olds.

  • 72% of individual investors believe that companies should make it easier for them to judge ESG efforts through data.
  • More than half of all individual investors surveyed expressed that they would be more likely to invest in a company that demonstrates its ESG performance. This sentiment increased to 60% for Gen Z and Millennial-aged investors across all regions.

This survey of individual investors comes on the heels of large institutional investors and asset managers extolling the benefits of integrating ESG metrics as a key factor in building their investment portfolios, as well as trends in new regulations requiring non-financial reporting.

“The survey indicates that investors want to see earnings growth, deeper data transparency and progress in all areas of ESG. This will require a technology solution that can deliver accuracy and simplify the complex process of collecting and reporting non-financial data; Workiva is revolutionizing how companies approach ESG reporting with a solution that does just that,” added Iskow.

Workiva's cloud-based platform creates a connected and controlled ecosystem that streamlines the integration of financial and non-financial information. ESG and finance teams can collect, assemble and report data on one secure platform, allowing businesses to keep pace with the rapidly growing demand for trusted, transparent data and proof of ESG forward-looking business goals.

Check out the ESG Survey results or learn more about Workiva’s purpose-built ESG reporting solution .

About the Survey

Workiva commissioned a survey to better understand the current sentiment of individual investors (who have grown in importance and activity1 ) on the transparency and faith in ESG performance and reporting data. The survey findings cover individual investors from the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and France. Read our Fact Sheet for methodology and specific question responses.

1. Individual investors made up an estimated 19.5% of U.S. equity trading volume according to Bloomberg Intelligence, a jump of over 4% compared to 2019.

About Workiva

Workiva Inc. (NYSE: WK) simplifies complex work for thousands of organizations worldwide. Customers trust Workiva’s open, intelligent and intuitive platform to connect data, documents and teams. The results: improved efficiency, greater transparency and less risk. Learn more at workiva.com.

Request a Workiva demo: www.workiva.com/request-demo
Read the Workiva blog: www.workiva.com/blog
Follow Workiva on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/workiva
Like Workiva on Facebook: www.facebook.com/workiva/
Follow Workiva on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Workiva
Follow Workiva on Instagram: www.instagram.com/workivalife

Link:

ClickThru

Social Media:

https://www.facebook.com/workiva/

About Business Wire

Business Wire
Business Wire
101 California Street, 20th Floor
CA 94111 San Francisco

http://businesswire.com

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

Andersen Consulting tilføjer samarbejdspartneren Milestone Technologies19.3.2026 19:02:00 CET | Pressemeddelelse

Andersen Consulting fortsætter med at styrke sin platform for digital transformation med tilføjelsen af samarbejdspartneren Milestone Technologies, der er en veletableret global leverandør af it-services og digitale løsninger med base i USA. Milestone Technologies blev grundlagt i 1997 og leverer omfattende teknologi- og outsourcingløsninger, der spænder over digitale arbejdspladstjenester, cloud- og infrastrukturstyring, data, AI og automatisering, apps og digital engineering, business process outsourcing samt implementering af platforme som ServiceNow og Salesforce. Med hovedkontor i Fremont, Californien, opererer Milestone i 35 lande på globalt plan og samarbejder med nogle af verdens største virksomheder. Virksomhedens integrerede leveringsmodel gør det muligt for kunder at transformere deres it-drift, øge serviceeffektiviteten og skalere teknologiske økosystemer gnidningsfrit over hele verden. "Milestone Technologies er en medarbejderfokuseret organisation, der leverer målbare for

Klarna Card reaches 5 million active customers19.3.2026 15:31:00 CET | Press release

Klarna, the global digital bank and payments provider, today announced that the Klarna Card has reached 5 million active customers globally, underscoring rapid adoption as consumers shift towards new forms of payment which provide more control over day-to-day money management. The card draws from the customer's own funds for everyday spending, with the option to spread the cost of a specific purchase, like a large appliance or a flight, when it makes sense to do so. The result is a card that offers genuine spending control without the long-term debt obligations that come with traditional credit cards. The card’s growth is reinforced by Klarna’s membership program. The program offers premium perks such as airport lounge access, travel insurance, and lifestyle subscriptions — without requiring users to take on debt, meet spending thresholds, or revolve balances. By separating everyday spending from rewards, Klarna is challenging the strings-attached model legacy banks have long relied on

Stonebranch Releases 2026 Global State of IT Automation Report, Revealing Orchestration as the Missing Link for AI Adoption and Trust19.3.2026 14:30:00 CET | Press release

New research shows hybrid IT orchestration, automation-as-a-service, and WLA investments are accelerating as AI workflow deployment scales across the enterprise. Stonebranch, a leading provider of service orchestration and automation solutions, today released its annual 2026 Global State of IT Automation Report, the company’s most comprehensive research study to date. Based on responses from 402 IT automation professionals spanning C-suite executives to individual contributors across North America, EMEA, Latin America, and APAC, the report provides a detailed, data-driven portrait of how enterprises are investing in, deploying, and deriving value from IT automation in 2026. “This year’s findings highlight an important shift in how organizations approach automation,” said Giuseppe Damiani, CEO of Stonebranch. “Organizations are now building automation as strategic infrastructure — a governed, scalable foundation that spans hybrid environments, operationalizes AI, and delivers automation

Perma-Pipe Accelerates Growth with New U.S. Northeast Facility Investment to serve Artificial Intelligence Data Center customers, Provides Middle East Operations’ Update and Concludes the Board’s Review of Strategic Alternatives19.3.2026 14:00:00 CET | Press release

Perma-Pipe International Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) today announced a strategic expansion initiative focused on accelerating growth through entry into the high-demand U.S. Northeast region. The Company is positioning itself to capitalize on the rapidly expanding Artificial Intelligence (“AI”)-driven data center market in both the United States and international markets while continuing to reinforce its leadership in critical infrastructure solutions. As part of this growth strategy, Perma-Pipe will prioritize investments aimed at expanding its presence in the rapidly evolving AI data center sector. The initiative reflects the Company’s long-term commitment to supporting next-generation technology infrastructure and strengthening its position in the global energy, industrial, and infrastructure markets. Expansion in the U.S. Northeast President & Chief Executive Officer, Saleh Sagr said, “We are excited to announce the expansion of our operations with a new facility in the Northeast

Armis Launches First-of-Its-Kind Benchmark Report Warning of Critical Security Gaps in AI-Native Development19.3.2026 13:00:00 CET | Press release

Research reveals 100% of leading generative AI models fail to generate secure code for critical development scenarios Armis, the cyber exposure management & security company, is warning that the rapid enterprise adoption of AI-native development is outpacing critical security safeguards, leaving organizations exposed to systemic vulnerabilities. New research from Armis Labs’ Trusted Vibing Benchmark Report, which evaluates 18 leading generative AI models across 31 test scenarios, reveals a 100% failure rate in generating secure code. These vulnerabilities are most prevalent in high-risk areas like memory buffer overflows, design file uploads and authentication systems. Therefore, organizations should immediately implement AI-native application security controls to reduce risk. “The era of vibe coding is here, but speed should not come at the cost of security,” said Nadir Izrael, CTO and Co-Founder of Armis. “Our research finds that the worst offenders are the same ones selling security

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye