ExxonMobil is perceived as more ethical than Google

Every year, Axios and Harris Poll gauge the reputation of the most visible brands in America — part of which is a survey of how ethical companies are perceived to be.

The big picture: Pfizer, unsurprisingly, has led the gainers over the course of the pandemic, seeing its ethics score rise from 58.9 in 2019 to 77.4 in 2021.

• More surprising gainers include ExxonMobil, up eight points over two years. Wells Fargo has gained a stunning 23 points since 2017.

The big losers tend to be tech companies.

• Even though (or perhaps because) Americans were hyper-connected to their devices throughout the pandemic, their relationship with many of the world's biggest tech firms has continued on a downward trend, suggesting that people see their products as necessary evils.

Go deeper: The 2021 Axios Harris Poll 100 reputation rankings