Investing to benefit the environment is a concept most investors say they appreciate but the reality is only a very small percentage actually has an environmental investment, according to a CoreData study.
Just 5 per cent of individuals have investments in green or environmentally-screened investment products, not taking into account super funds that may have made allocations on behalf of members, the company said.
"While more and more people are taking steps to minimise their carbon footprint, it seems this has not necessarily flowed through to an inclination to invest in green funds over traditional funds," CoreData partner Craig Phillips said.
Almost 29 per cent of respondents believed green funds had a very low impact on influencing environmental protection, he said.
Figures showed 14.8 per cent of those surveyed would put their money into unethical stocks if they delivered a 75 per cent per annum return, while 24.5 per cent would accept much lower hypothetical returns of 6 per cent from a green fund.
The majority of those surveyed, 60.7 per cent said they would prefer to invest in regular stocks with a 15 per cent return.
