Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is increasingly seen as a mainstream business priority, according to research released by the Corporate Responsibility Group (CRG).

The research, carried out across the CRG membership of corporate responsibility practitioners, found that 84% considered CSR to be a mainstream business issue, compared to 72% who thought the same during the last survey in 2006. This is reflected in salary improvements according to the CRG: 30% of members earn over £80,000 compared with 20% earning the same figure in 2006.

“We hope that the progress made over the last two years can be sustained, and urge CR practitioners to continue to advocate the business case for CR, which is now more important than ever”, said Mike Kelly, chair of CRG’s voluntary board of Directors.

The key challenges in driving forward the CSR agenda include influencing internal operations, highlighted by 92% of members; acquiring budget, reported by 88% of members; and onerous reporting demands, noted by 73% of members.

The research also found that the number of members who regard their jobs as very stressful had doubled to 24% since 2006.

CRG is a learning and development network run by CSR professionals. CRG consists of over 100 member companies connecting around 300 individuals. The CRG member survey takes place every two years.