Socially Responsible Spending Is Still Trending in the Right Direction Despite Slight Decline from Previous Year, According to 12th Annual Conscious Consumer Spending Index

This year’s Index failed to match its record-shattering performance from 2023 but still posted third-highest score of all time while cementing positive long-term trend for conscious consumerism

After a dozen years of tracking socially responsible spending, the U.S. remains on a positive trajectory, according to the most recent Conscious Consumer Spending Index (CCSIndex).

After seeing a record-shattering score of 57 in 2023, this year’s Index fell 12% to an even 50. In total, the number of Americans who reported shopping with socially conscious brands is down this year, as is the number of Americans who plan to spend more with such brands in the year ahead.

Even so, this year’s score is the third-highest of all time, and caps the best three-year span in Index history. Meanwhile, support for charities continues to rebound. This year, 59% of Americans said they had contributed financially to a nonprofit in the past year, the highest total since 2017. Americans also reported a modest increase in “being green”, meaning they had recycled, properly disposed of waste and favored reusable products in the previous year.

Conducted annually each fall since 2013, the CCSIndex is an ongoing benchmarking study. Good.Must.Grow., a socially responsible marketing consultancy, administers the Index to gauge momentum for conscious consumerism, charitable giving and earth-friendly practices.

The Index score is calculated by evaluating the importance consumers place on purchasing from socially responsible companies, actions taken to support such products and services, and future intent to increase the amount they spend with responsible organizations. Based on the design of the Index’s algorithm, even a one-point change in overall score indicates meaningful movement of consumer sentiment.

“While we are reporting a decline in this year’s score, we also have established a new baseline for the Index that demonstrates overall growth in do good behaviors over the last 12 years,” said Heath Shackleford, founder of Good.Must.Grow. “Prior to 2021, the Index had never posted a score above 50, but in the four years since, we’ve consistently surpassed that threshold.”

In its first six years, the Index landed between a low of 45 and a high of 48. After back-to-back scores of 39 in 2019 and 2020, the Index has been on a dramatic upward trajectory. While the overall performance of the Index is promising, some underlying metrics offer cause for concern.

In this year’s findings, 66% of Americans felt it was important to support socially responsible brands, while 64% confirmed they had purchased do good products or services in the past year. Additionally, 32% said they planned to spend more with socially responsible companies in 2025. All of these statistics trail 2023 results, which were all record highs. Another troubling statistic is that the success rate for socially responsible intentions fell to 55% this year. When comparing the number of Americans who plan to increase socially responsible spending with those who follow through the next year, the previous 10-year average success rate was 67%. This year’s results are a new historic low.

A few contributing factors for the lull in socially responsible spending are declining household incomes and increasing sensitivity around the cost of do good products and services. In 2024, 20% of Americans reported their household income declined over the past year. Meanwhile, half of Americans said the cost of socially responsible products and services was a barrier to their socially responsible spending habits. This was an all-time high.

Does Positivity Lead to Good Behavior?

There seems to be a symbiotic relationship between positivity and purpose. Those who say the world is getting better have a significantly higher Index score than those who say it is getting worse or staying the same. Do socially responsible behaviors create a more positive outlook, or do people who support conscious brands simply feel more optimistic about the future? Regardless of how you answer this question, it is clear we would benefit from more Americans reporting a positive outlook. For the past several years, almost half of survey respondents said the world is getting worse.

Politics and Purpose – How Voting Behaviors Impacts Conscious Consumerism

Americans who voted for Kamala Harris in the recent presidential election posted an Index score of 56, which was significantly higher than those who did not vote (45) and those who voted for Donald Trump (44). This tracks with results from 2020, where Joe Biden supporters (53) outpaced Trump supporters (33) and those who did not vote (34). It is important to note that Trump supporters, as well as non-voters, saw a significant bump in Index scores from 2020 to 2024 compared to Biden/Harris supporters.

“We have yet to achieve the ceiling we desire, but we have raised the floor,” Shackleford said. “That being said, the next few years are critical for establishing long-term growth for socially responsible spending. We have to reach a point where economic headwinds and political differences are not powerful enough to deter us from supporting brands who are driving positive change in our world.”

Top 20 Good Company Poll

This year marked the Index’s 10th annual top 20 “Good Company” poll, compiled by responses to the question, “What company or organization do you think of first when you think of socially responsible companies/organizations?” Based on unaided recall, organizations were ranked by how frequently they were named.

For the sixth straight year, Amazon tops the list, earning twice as many votes as the Salvation Army, which finished in second place. TOMS continued its resurgence, after falling out of the top 20 for one year in 2022. Patagonia continued its upward march, cracking the top 5 for the first time. Nike and Chick-fil-A exited the list this year, making room for Greenpeace and Tesla to re-enter after absences.

This year’s top 20 are as follows:

1. Amazon
2. Salvation Army
3. Starbucks
4. Walmart
5. Patagonia
6. American Red Cross
7. Google
8. Apple
9. Goodwill
10. Bombas
11. Microsoft
12. TOMS
13. Target
14. Ben & Jerry’s
15. Habitat for Humanity
16. Greenpeace
17. UNICEF
18. Coca Cola
19. Tesla
20. St. Jude

About the Study

Conducted annually each fall since 2013, the CCSIndex is an ongoing benchmarking study that gauges momentum for conscious consumerism and charitable giving. In total, 1,000 Americans were surveyed (margin of error is +/- 3%). Sampling was provided by Dynata. For more information on the Conscious Consumer Spending Index, please visit www.goodmustgrow.com/ccsindex

About Good.Must.Grow.

Doing good by any means necessary. That’s our motto. We are obsessed with helping good organizations grow. We provide strategic marketing support for socially responsible businesses, nonprofit causes and individuals committed to making our world a healthier place. We also fuel our own initiatives aimed at specific causes, ranging from human trafficking to addiction to health and wellness. Proud to be a Certified B Corp and ranked as three-time Best for the World company. Learn more at goodmustgrow.com

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