The fifth edition of the Capital Group’s global study on investor interest in ESG Resilience and refinement in a changing world is now available. The study gathered “views of 1,130 global investors on the role of ESG in the investment process, drivers behind their evolving approaches to ESG, and their views on various ESG-related topics via an online survey conducted by CoreData Research from May to July in 2025.” With a global perspective, the respondents “were based in 25 countries and regions from EMEA (50%), APAC (32%) and North America (18%).”
The four takeaways from the survey are:
Source: Resilience and refinement in a changing world, Fifth edition (2025).
Summing up the overall trends:
“Investors are refining their approach to ESG. The consideration of ESG issues in corporate bonds is gaining traction, supported by improved data availability. Interest in private markets is also rising as some investors learn to navigate transparency challenges. Many investors also express long-term confidence in transition companies with credible transition plans. And investors are recognizing the benefits of multi-thematic strategies over single-thematic ones, including diversification and adaptability to changing market conditions.”
I, for one, am glad to see that the importance of ESG in corporate bonds is increasing – with many ESG/sustainability programs intended to play out in the long term, that is frequently a better fit than equities for sustainability value. It is also worth recognizing that regulatory uncertainty isn’t as much an obstacle as the headlines make it seem. Companies held by investors still face investor expectations for sustainability and financial performance.
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