Axios Harris Poll 100: Prices over politics
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Prices — not politics — are driving most brands' reputations in this year's Axios Harris Poll 100 rankings, with the election in the rear-view mirror and tariffs and inflation top of mind.
The big picture: The average polarization score — the gap between how Republicans and Democrats view a brand's reputation — dropped to 2.55 points among the 10 highest-rated companies in this year's survey, down from 3.4 a year ago.
- No. 1 ranked Trader Joe's, a grocery chain known for affordable specialty foods, registers a reputation score of 82.1 (82.9 from Democrats and 81.1 from Republicans, or a polarization measure of +1.8 D). No. 10 ranked Apple registers at 80.0, with a +1.1 R polarization.
- Arizona Beverage Co., known for its giant 99-cent cans of tea, is the one brand in the top 10 for consumers of both parties (No. 3 for Republicans, No. 7 for Democrats).
"Are we now entering an era of post-polarization?" said John Gerzema, CEO of The Harris Poll. "We used to get so upset by the culture wars, and now the absolute dominant priority and attention has been focused by the consumer on value."
- Brand politics "was a thing we could pay attention to when the economy was doing better, but this is really tough times for people right now."
Yes, but: Political neutrality doesn't ensure higher rankings, and, Gerzema said, "being polarizing today isn't necessarily a strong indication that you're going to be at the bottom."
- The two companies with no polarization gap, Delta Air Lines and Spirit Airlines, have reputational ratings of 48 and 100, respectively.
What we're watching: 8 in 10 consumers tell The Harris Poll that they care more about how brands can keep prices down than their politics.
- 2 in 3 say they aren't interested in supporting companies that have become too political. But two-thirds also say political polarization in business is inevitable.
Most trusted companies by party
Zoom in: Chick-fil-A, John Deere and Arizona Beverage are seen by Republicans as the most reputable companies, while Democrats give Costco, Unilever (which includes Ben & Jerry's ice cream) and Patagonia top billing.
Several companies that made the Top 100 list skew blue or red.
- Ben & Jerry's (+16.4 D), Pfizer (+13.3 D) and the Walt Disney Company (+12.3 D) skew the most toward Democratic consumers in terms of reputational perceptions. Views about the war in Gaza, vaccines and LGBTQ+ rights help explain the disparities.
- Even bigger gaps are seen for the companies that most skew toward Republicans: Elon Musk-brands Tesla (+32.3 R), X (+29.5 R) and Space X (+28.7 R); and the Trump Organization (+45.3 R). The common thread is alignment with President Trump.
- The most polarizing brands that lean Republican are near the bottom for overall reputation (Nos. 86, 95, 98 and 99). The most polarizing brands that lean Democrat fare better (Nos. 24, 61 and 76).
Go deeper: The Axios Harris Poll 100's methodology
