WWF, in cooperation with research organization GlobeScan, has conducted the largest ivory consumer survey – 2,000 people in 15 cities – for five consecutive years. This annual survey is the largest assessment of changes in attitudes to ivory consumption, purchasing rates and intention to purchase, as well as awareness of the Chinese ivory ban over time. The study has found that demand for ivory continues at low rate since the ivory ban, though with a slight uptick in 2021.

WWF’s fifth annual survey, Demand under the Ban – China Ivory Consumption Research 2021, found:
Ivory buying remains in decline
 

• Even the most committed ivory buyers report buying less. Among the identified buyer segments, the proportion of Diehard Buyers has grown slightly from 8 percent in 2020 to 11 percent in 2021. Their past-12-month purchases have decreased to the lowest level since 2017, with just 45 percent reporting that they bought ivory in the past 12 months, and those intending to buy in the future (before the ban was mentioned in the survey) continues to drop to 73 percent in 2021.
• Public awareness of the legality of ivory trade remains the same. Same as last year, 88 percent of participants in 2021 believe that the trading of ivory in China is illegal, even though the spontaneous mention of the 2017 ivory ban has remained low, at 3 percent. The prompted recognition of the ivory ban has increased from 40 percent in 2020 to 44 percent in 2021.
• Regular Overseas Travelers, one of the most determined ivory consumer segments, reached their lowest stated intention to buy ivory since 2017, both before and after the ban was mentioned. Although international travel was difficult in the past year, 27 percent of total participants have travel plans when it is possible again.

A rebound has been seen in ivory purchase as well as intention to purchase ivory in the future, but these metrics remain lower than 2019 levels, despite the easing of many COVID-19 restrictions in China over the past 12 months. The easing of these restrictions was expected to create an increase in ivory purchase and changes in ivory sales will need to be carefully monitored as the world reopens post-COVID.

The segment size of Diehard Buyers in 2021 remains low after WWF’s recent years’ consecutive behaviour change campaigns. The survey also assessed the long-tail effects of a targeted social media campaign, starring Chinese cultural celebrity Ma Weidu, launched in 2020. 66% of respondents who planned to buy ivory said they changed their mind after learning about the laws and seeing the Ma Weidu campaign. And Regular Overseas Travelers reached their lowest ever stated intention to buy ivory after the ban was mentioned. Consistent public awareness improvement on ivory ban should be sustained.

“These suggest that a combination of public awareness efforts and targeted behavior change campaigns has a measurable positive impact on ivory purchasing among even the most determined consumer group,” said Zhou Fei, Chief Programme Officer of WWF China. “Partners across many sectors, including China Customs, internet companies and the travel industry, have committed to a Zero Tolerance to Illegal Wildlife Trade Initiative and therefore bolstered consumer engagement efforts.”

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Note to editors:

• This study, conducted by GlobeScan, an international research consultancy, is the largest and longest-running research on China’s ivory consumption, involving a total of more than 10,000 consumers in 15 cities across China in five years. This is the fifth annual survey conducted since 2017.
• Implementation of this project was made possible with funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).