May 22, 2026 - Business

Brand reputations rebound in 2026 Axios Harris Poll 100

Sara Fischer

Animated gif of a a five star rating appearing and disappearing — Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

More than half of the companies measured in the Axios Harris Poll 100 that appeared n the rankings last year saw their reputations improve year over year.

Why it matters: The trend reflects positive consumer sentiment around recognizable brands in the era of AI slop.

Reputational elasticity is improving as a chaotic news cycle and fragmented news consumption habits make it easier for consumers to quickly forget and move on from scandals.

Zoom in: Several of the companies with the strongest improvements to their reputational quotient (RQ) scores this year were able to successfully recover from recent scandals.

UnitedHealth Group saw one of the biggest improvements (+7.6) in its RQ score this year, a testament to the temporary impact of some scandals.
Broad political backlash against Elon Musk didn't stop Tesla (+5.9) and SpaceX (+5.3) from seeing significant gains year over year.
Despite renewed scrutiny over ultra-fast fashion in the vintage and nostalgia boom, Shein saw its RQ score increase by 4.5 points.

The bottom line: Major brands are showing increased resilience, even after high-profile controversies.

Go deeper: See the complete Axios Harris Poll 100 reputation rankings and methodology

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Brand reputations rebound in 2026 Axios Harris Poll 100

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