New investors flocked to the stock market last year and with the proxy season in full swing, many of them are looking to their advisors for education on the voting process so that they can have their voices heard.

Approximately two-thirds of new retail investors said they would like their financial advisor to explain the proxy voting process and discuss issues voted on at annual meetings, according to new research from Broadridge Financial Solutions, and 46% of millennial investors said they are planning to vote their share in the companies they invest in. And these investors had environmental, social and governance issues on their mind.

“With everything that has gone on in America in the last 12 months, increasing focus on diversity and increasing focus on climate change, people, especially younger people are looking for a way to have their voice heard through [voting their proxies]” said Martin Koopman, Broadridge president for bank broker-dealer, investor communication solutions.

Two-thirds of the survey respondents believed the companies they invest in should take steps to address environmental concerns, such as climate change, and 62% believe those companies should address social issues such as gender, ethnic, and racial diversity and inclusion.

Specifically, the investors surveyed are most interested in voting their proxies on social issues, such as diversity on the company board (43%), environmental issues (41%), approving or rejecting M&A (40%), executive/CEO compensation (35%), general corporate governance (33%) and appointing the board of directors (32%).

Koopman said this rise in interest on proxy voting from new investors is an opportunity for financial advisors to engage more deeply with their clients, to get new clients and to educate them on ESG issues and the power they have through holding shares to vote on how companies handle EGS issues.

He explained that advisors have always voted in the proxy process by voting the shares of their clients, and it was often looked at as a compliance function. “And now it’s an opportunity for them to educate clients. “Our survey showed the interest is there, so have the conversation that 67% of respondents said they want to have with their financial advisors. They want to be educated about the voice they have,” Koopman said.

The recent surge in individual investors, Koopman said, has been driven by zero fee commissions, self-directed accounts, and mobile technology. “It’s so much easier to open an account and trade that account,” with the mobile in your pocket, he said. “And with mobile trading taking off, investors are willing to vote their proxy on this platform,” he said.

Three-quarters of the investors in the survey said they would be more likely to vote their proxy if they knew they could do so through a mobile app, that includes 88% of Gen Z investors, 92% of millennial investors, and 89% of investors with two years of experience or less.

Most respondents allso indicated that they would be interested in pre-filling their voting preferences on certain issues, a process called Advanced Voting Instructions. This is just an easier way for shareholders to populate their preferences into the voting ballot, Koopman said.

The survey also found that investors are seeking more ways to vote through their fund providers. It showed 65% of mutual funds or ETFs holders believe that as a mutual fund or ETF shareholder, they should have more say about how their fund votes at annual shareholder meetings, including 62% of Gen Z investors and 75% of millennials.

Additionally, 72% of investors said they would be more likely to invest in a fund if they were given the option to vote on issues most important to them, including 77% of Gen Z investors and 89% of millennials.

The Broadridge Proxy Season 2021 Investor Sentiment Study, conducted in March in collaboration with Engine Group, surveyed about 1,000 individual investors with investment or brokerage accounts.