Investor attention and corporate ESG performance

ESG is an important initiative that drives corporate transformation and promotes their sustainable development. This article takes investor attention as the entry point and empirically tests whether investor attention will affect the corporate ESG performance. Empirical results indicate that investor attention can significantly improve the ESG standards of listed companies. Further analysis reveals that the enhancing effect of investor attention on the ESG performance is more pronounced in samples of private enterprises and key polluting companies. The research conclusion provides empirical evidence for regulatory authorities to continuously strengthen investor guidance and promote listed companies' active practice of ESG principles.