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

TOURISE and Oxford Economics Release New Global Report on Tourism Resilience in an Era of Permanent Disruption17.8.2026 16:33:00 CEST | Press release

New analysis shows destinations that assume risk will recover up to 1.5 times faster with global rehabilitation times dropping from 24 months to as little as 10 TOURISE, in collaboration with Oxford Economics, today released a new report, “Resilience in a World that Doesn’t Reset: Redesigning Tourism for an Era of Permanent Disruption.” The analysis of 85 major crises over two decades shows a clear pattern: in a world defined by continuous shocks, destinations that act before disruption hits recover up to 1.5 times faster than those that wait. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260817880835/en/ “In a world that does not reset between crises, disruption is a constant feature of the global tourism landscape,” said His Excellency Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of TOURISE. “The real test for destinations measures how they prepare for volatility, protect traveler confidence, and mai

The Expensify Visa® Commercial Card Brings New Proactive Spend Controls to 14 Countries17.8.2026 15:00:00 CEST | Press release

New admin-defined spend rules let businesses control how, where, and when every card is used, stopping the wrong spend before it happens instead of cleaning it up after. Expensify, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXFY), the easiest way to manage expenses, travel, and corporate cards, today expanded the reach of Expensify Card spend rules, the market-leading way for businesses to control corporate card spend before it happens. Available to businesses in 14 countries, spend rules let admins decide exactly how, where, and when each Expensify Card can be used, so only compliant transactions go through. Unlike traditional corporate cards that rely on after-the-fact expense review, the Expensify Card enforces policy at the point of purchase. Admins set the rules once, and the card handles the rest. With Expensify Card spend rules, admins can: Lock a card to a subscription. Give each recurring SaaS tool its own virtual card, so a vendor can only ever charge what it should. If the card owner changes teams or le

Riskified Analysis Finds Travel Fraudsters Are Adapting Faster Than Traditional Signals Can Keep Up, With May Flight Risk Up 32%17.8.2026 14:30:00 CEST | Press release

New Travel Industry report reveals sophisticated fraud rings are exploiting trusted customer behaviors across flights, hotels, and travel platforms Riskified (NYSE: RSKD), a global leader in ecommerce fraud and risk intelligence, today released new findings from its Travel Industry Insights report, revealing how sophisticated fraud rings and AI-enabled fraudsters are evolving their tactics across airlines, hotels, and online travel platforms. Riskified’s analysis shows that fraudsters are increasingly adapting their behavior to resemble legitimate travelers, making traditional fraud indicators less reliable and creating new challenges for travel merchants. Riskified’s analysis of hundreds of millions of travel transactions across flights, hotels, and land transportation found that flight fraud risk increased through the first five months of 2026, with May 2026 marking the sharpest year-over-year increase at 32% compared to May 2025. The findings show that sophisticated fraud activity i

PIF Delivers Strong Revenue and Profit Growth in 202517.8.2026 13:54:00 CEST | Press release

Revenue rose 9% to $120 billion while net profit more than doubled to $17 billionCumulative domestic investments reached more than $199 billion since 2021PIF has contributed more than $342 billion to Saudi Arabia’s real non-oil GDP between 2021 and 2025Assets under management exceed $900 billion, up from around $530 in 2021 and $150 billion in 2015 PIF today published its 2025 Annual Report demonstrating strong financial performance and continued progress against its long-term objectives. As a long-term investor with a unique mandate to drive the economic transformation of Saudi Arabia and deliver sustainable financial returns, PIF maintained a diversified portfolio in 2025, balancing returns with national impact and long-term resilience. Maintaining Financial Discipline In 2025, revenue rose 9% year on year to $120 billion, while net profit more than doubled to $17 billion, supported by stronger contributions from maturing portfolio companies. PIF retained over $900 billion in assets

Foundever Successfully Closes a Holistic Recapitalization, Reducing its Debt by Nearly $900 Million and Strengthening its Financial Position for Long-Term Growth17.8.2026 13:30:00 CEST | Press release

Secures $225 Million Equity Infusion; Revolving Credit Facility and Term Loan Maturities ExtendedBenoit Leclercq Appointed Interim Chief Executive Officer to Lead Foundever Through its Next Phase of Growth; Company Begins Formal Search Process for Permanent CEO Foundever Group S.A.® (“Foundever” or the “Company”) – a global leader in integrated customer experience, digital operations and analytics services, today announced that it has successfully closed a holistic recapitalization (the “Transaction”) in coordination with 95.4% of the lenders under its term loan facility (“Term Loan Lenders”), 100% of its revolving credit facility lenders (“RCF Lenders”), and the Company’s existing majority shareholders. The Transaction meaningfully strengthens Foundever’s financial foundation and positions the Company to invest in its growth strategy. Key terms of the Transaction include: Company's existing majority shareholders invest $225 million into common equity. Term loan facility exchange reduc

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