Americans now support corporate activism again: Survey
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U.S. adults' stance on corporate activism has flip-flopped, according to a Wednesday Bentley University-Gallup report.
Why it matters: After years of decline in support, more Americans across demographics and political affiliations want businesses to take a public stance on hot-button topics including free speech, immigration policy, diversity, climate change and health care issues.
- "The data underscore an important insight for businesses," the report said. "What they say, and who they say it to, matters."
By the numbers: 51% of U.S. adults in the May survey said they believe companies should take public stances on current issues, per the poll.
- That's a 13 percentage point increase from last year and a reversal of a downward trend that began after 2022.
Flashback: Last year, 38% of respondents said they thought businesses should take a public stance on current events.
- At that point, the biggest drops in sentiment were within groups of people who were previously the most receptive — Democrats, Americans under 45, Black Americans and Asian Americans.
State of play: Now, 71% of Democrats and 33% of Republicans support businesses taking public stances.
- Support has risen for businesses to take a public stance on free speech, immigration policy and international conflicts.
The intrigue: While Americans support businesses speaking out publicly, they're more apprehensive about their own employers communicating on most topics.
- 60% of employed respondents said they'd prefer their employers not to communicate a stance on current events. The exceptions are mental health, health care issues, diversity and inclusion and free speech.
Go deeper: Shoppers are avoiding certain brands over politics: poll
Methodology: 3,007 adults were surveyed May 5-12. For results based on the full sample, the margin of error is ±2.8 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
