The survey, which polled over 1,800 of Capital.com’s clients globally, found that 52 per cent of traders and investors have never selected a stock or made a trade based on ESG criteria. 

When asked why they have never selected a stock or made a trade based on ESG factors, 46 per cent of respondents said they did not know how to, while 12 per cent thought ESG investments were too expensive. 

“The findings of our survey show a lack of awareness and information around sustainable investing,” Kypros Zoumidou, chief commercial officer at Capital.com said.

“This information gap has clearly impacted the adoption of ESG among DIY investors, which is compounded further by a perception that sustainable investments come at a premium,” he added. 

“By making ESG data more widely available to all investor groups, including self-directed retail investors and traders, we can level the playing field and empower more people to make sustainable choices,” he said.

The survey also revealed that more than half of DIY traders and investors make decisions based on profitability rather than social or environmental impact. 

Only 7 per cent of respondents cite social and environmental reasons as their criteria when making an investment decision while 40 per cent of respondents said that both profit and making a positive social and environmental impact were important to their investment selection strategy.

“ESG factors can be useful additional analysis when making a decision to buy a certain stock,” Zoumidou added. 

“How a company manages its exposure to climate change or human rights, for example, could have a significant impact on its stock’s performance. A company well-equipped to face ESG issues is more likely to be resilient over the long term and therefore more sustainable,” he said.