The public relations firm Edelman conducted a study that surveyed 5,600 people in nine countries and found that citizens are increasingly interested in issues such as protecting the environment, reducing poverty and providing educational opportunities and that they are willing to pay more to companies that share their concerns. In fact, 7 out of 10 consumers stated that they would pay more to a business that supports a worthwhile cause and 55% would in fact promote the brand. There appears to be a new trend "...a new phenomenon emerging called 'Mutual Social Responsibility,' where consumers and the brands they interact with every day take a mutual interest in and a mutual responsibility for being good citizens" stated Mitch Markson, the president of Edelman's Global Consumer Brands practice.

Unfortunately, current companies involved with cause marketing need to do a better job in their public communication. The study found that although there has been an influx of "green" advertising only 39% of individuals stated that they were aware of any brand that supported socially responsible causes. This is problematic as individuals clearly stated that when chosing between two brands of similar price and quality, they advised that a brand's social purpose was more important to the purchasing decision than design or brand loyalty.

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