Etat des lieux de l'investissement socialement responsable (ISR) au sein de l'assurance-vie.

Abstract

Today, more than ever, our planet must face upheavals that can lead to disastrous consequences such as global warming, social inequalities and overexploitation of resources. Therefore, the current crisis seems to be the ideal opportunity to raise the issue of integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into our investment strategies. The objective of this thesis is therefore to establish the ins and outs of socially responsible investment (SRI) in Belgium and more specifically within life insurance. Through this work, we wish to establish the knowledge of this type of investment among the population as well as the reception that is given to it. We also want to study the impact of the coronavirus health crisis on the perception of SRI. These three main hypotheses were supported by a quantitative analysis of individual investors. The empirical research was also complemented by various readings. Through our study, we were able to establish that the dissemination of information is not efficient and that the sustainable investment market is still very unknown and not always well seen by Belgian retail investors due to the unfamiliarity. Nevertheless, our research has shown that there is a collective awareness of current global issues. Our study therefore allows us to confirm that it is entirely possible to reconcile financial interests and sustainability. The main challenge of this sustainable approach is to disseminate the knowledge of SRI but also to highlight its benefits through training for both the public and intermediaries. We also believe that tax incentives to invest in sustainability are a good complementary solution. This makes even more sense as the majority of Belgian households have pension savings. Furthermore, we have seen that SRI bank accounts represent only a small part of the SRI market. We also know that they are the first investment choice of Belgian households. From this observation, we believe that promoters should make more use of this investment vehicle. This could greatly contribute to the expansion of SRI in our country.