Back in November, we presented four companies with our inaugural Converting Innovator Awards, recognizing their achievements in “doing well by doing good” for, in part, their communities and the world at large. Now comes evidence from a new global survey that shows significant opportunities exists for converters to step up and take on some basic human issues while also satisfying their core business objectives.

Polling 2,700 individuals defined as the general public and 1,600 executives in the US, Europe, Asia and Latin America, the Burson-Marsteller Global Issues Index unfortunately revealed a surprising gap between true consumer concerns and what businesses think are the most pressing issues. While consumers are most worried about things that personally affect them such as food, safety and health, most companies are more concerned about what they can do to apply new technology to their business models.

“Despite the strong interest in international politics and the global marketplace, the survey shows that what matters most are the basics: the cost of food, availability of healthcare and growing threats to privacy,” says Mark Penn, president and chief executive officer of New York-based Burson-Marsteller Worldwide.

Although business leaders and the general public did share some concerns, the top concerns of the average member of the general public were the costs of healthcare (77%), food (75%) and energy (75%) and identity theft (76%). Business leaders were most concerned about the cost of technology (55%), affordability of technology to stay ahead of competition (53%), hackers breaking into company computers (53%) and the cost of energy and its impact on profits (53%).

Societal issues are also reflected in the global survey. The Asian public is most worried about its aging population and healthcare costs. The US public is also concerned about its aging population but more in the context of how Americans can support their aging citizens. And, only Europe included terrorism in its Top 10 concerns.

Now it won't come as any surprise that what concerns individuals doesn't necessarily overlap much with what interests businesses. But the Global Issues Index does show that companies involved in the things that matter most to their employees and the public at large will likely benefit from more than just “feel good” sentiments.

How far can your business go toward addressing consumers' real needs? Organizing food drives, donating to free medical clinics, and funding programs to provide clean water are only three examples. All are good for the world, of course, and along the way, each might also make you an Innovator Award winner next fall.