Research into everyday shopping habits has found that Australians place a higher priority on purchasing products that support people in need.

A national survey of 1025 people conducted by McCrindle, found 85 per cent of shoppers would be more likely to purchase a product which supports people in need, assuming the product price and quality is similar.

Supporting animals or the environment also ranked high, with 77 per cent of shoppers indicating they would be more likely to buy products that supported these causes.

Seven in 10 Australians said ethical products such as Fairtrade were good value for money.

Value is often simplified to mean only price, but research shows that social, environmental, and trust attributes also contribute to consumers’ perception of product value.

“Purchasing ethical products is high on the shopping list. As a market based system of trade which supports farmers in developing countries, we must do what we can to continue to fuel this demand from consumers,” said Molly Harriss Olson, CEO, Fairtrade Australia and New Zealand.

Fairtrade’s ‘The Power of You’ campaign highlights the close relationship between everyday purchases and the farmers that grow products.