Research Methodology
Our research drew on three main initiatives:
- The Economist Intelligence Unit’s country analysis team provided overviews of the regulatory environment in the US, EU, Japan, China and India.
- We conducted a wide-ranging global survey of senior executives from around the world during November and December 2008. In total, 538 executives took part, of which more than one-half (53%) were from the C-suite and 24% were CEOs. The executives polled represented a cross-section of industries and a range of company sizes.
- To supplement the survey results, we also conducted in-depth interviews with 18 executives, including CEOs and heads of sustainability and/or climate change, as well as national and local government stakeholders.
The Economist Intelligence Unit bears sole responsibility for the content of this report. Our editorial team provided the political analysis, executed the survey, conducted the interviews and wrote the report. The findings and views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the sponsors.