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We Asked You What You Need To Have A Positive Impact—Here’s What You Said

By – who always has time to go to breakfast, no matter how busy she is.

As we face a future beset by environmental, economical and cultural challenges, decisions that used to be simple aren’t so simple anymore. Just grabbing a coffee in the morning has become a minefield of potential issues—are those beans ethically sourced? Is that takeaway cup compostable? Is the cafe locally-owned? Can we really afford our daily caffeine habit? 

To make sure that the 30,000 recommendations for coffee, cocktails and everything in between we dish up every hour line up with your values and priorities, we wanted to get some inside knowledge into how you decide what brands and businesses to spend your hard-earned cash with. So in our latest reader survey, we dived deep into the thoughts of 6,500 of you, to find out just what goes through your head when you’re deciding whether or not to hit ‘buy.’ 

Read on to dig into the insights. 

Value Vs Values 


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Let’s face it—while we all want to buy nothing but ethical, sustainable and socially-conscious goods, we’re in the midst of a cozzie livs, and well, the choice of quantity over quality is looking better than ever. 73% of you are in the same boat, saying the ‘premium’ price tag on brands that share your core beliefs and values is stopping you from buying from them. It’s a conundrum of value vs values, and one that reflects the most pressing challenge to widespread ethical consumerism—how are we ever all going to be able to afford it? 

Clued-Up Consumers 

Spending up big isn’t the only way to practise what we preach, and when it comes to small swaps and more sustainable behaviours, you guys are really dialled in. From recycling and reducing food waste to skipping single-use products and shopping secondhand, 83% of our readers said they actively try to be ‘good consumers’ every day, minute-by-minute and hour-by-hour—and we’re right there with you

Meaningful Matters 


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Being green isn’t the only sustainable practice Urban List is passionate about—we’re also determined to have a positive cultural impact on the world around us, and according to our survey, so are 87% of you. From accessibility and inclusion to diversity and charitable practices, you want to know more about matters of social sustainability. On the flipside, however, 2 in 5 say not knowing whether the brands, businesses and even governments that you support are equally as committed to the cause is definitely stopping you from putting your money where your mouth is. 

Groundswell Of Intentionality 

Finally, we wanted to know what pushes you to do more, be better and contribute to the communities around you. Turns out, what gets you feeling truly inspired is everyday people doing extraordinary things—and you want to see more of them. 4 in 5 of the people we surveyed said they want to see more people and brands doing good featured on Urban List. And we’re not talking superficial rainbow washing or PR stunts here—we’re talking real stories of true lived experiences, and people striving for a better tomorrow, real inspirational stuff. 

Conversations That Matter 


Image credit: Urban List | Supplied 

What you want from Urban List, you get—and it’s pretty clear that what  you want is to be informed and inspired on all things environment and social sustainability. So in 2024, you’re going to get just that—more profiles on inspirational changemakers, more tips on how to best live an eco-friendly lifestyle and more brands leading the way in driving positive change. That’s all we’re going to give away for now, but stay tuned for big things. 

Want to be a part of our next reader survey (there might even be a cash prize involved)? Sign up to get notified when they happen here

Image credit: Urban List | Supplied 

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