Ethical Investing Linked to Lifestyle and Image

An ethical investment is one that avoids investments in sectors such as tobacco and arms considered by some to be ethically unsound. There are 30 ethical unit trusts in the UK, worth about £750 million. Some investors also manage their own ethical portfolios. In a study of more than 1,100 ethical investors, economists at the Centre for Economic Psychology at the University of Bath have found that ethical investing correlates with other lifestyle choices. Speaking at the British Association meeting yesterday, Alan Lewis, who led the research, said: ‘Most ethical investors are healthy, educated and caring professional people, middle-aged or older. Hardly any vote for the Conservative.

The paper they read the most is the Guardian. ’ In addition, 16 per cent of those surveyed said they were members of the Labor party. Many were members of charitable organizations such as Amnesty International and Oxfam, a third-world aid charity. There is no obvious gender bias. ‘It appears that this is part of a lifestyle package,’ said Dr Lewis.

As ethical investments frequently underperform other portfolios, most ethical investors seem to be prepared to take a loss to support their moral beliefs. Some 80 per cent would be prepared to take a 2 per cent loss in income per year compared with an ordinary portfolio if their overall return was 8 per cent.

Everything, though, has its price. Some 40 per cent of those surveyed said they would reduce their ethical investments if they were underperforming ordinary investments by 5 per cent. The size of an investor’s portfolio seems to have no influence on this decision.

Exercise 1. The first sentence of the article means that ethical investors avoid companies that produce:

a) arms of any kind,

b) certain types of arms.

Exercise 2. Which of these statements about typical ethical investors in the UK are true and which false? Correct the false ones.

a) They all vote Labour.

b) They are young and working class.

c) They often read The Times.

d) They are likely to support Amnesty International.

e) There are far more women than men.

Exercise 3. ‘… ethical investments frequently underperform other portfolios’ means that in relation to ordinary investments they are:

a) more profitable

b) just as profitable

c) less profitable

Exercise 4. Expand on the following subjects.

a) At what point would ethical investors change their investments if they performed much less well?

b) If they have a lot of money invested, is this figure different?

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