More people want brands to stay out of political and social issues
A majority of Americans (57%) now say that companies should remain neutral on social and political issues, a rise of 5 points since 2023, according to the Ipsos Consumer Tracker
The Ipsos Consumer Tracker asks Americans questions about culture, the economy and the forces that shape our lives. Here's one thing we learned this week.
Why we asked about brands making political and social statements: Issues related to DEI and ESG and “woke” companies and boycotts have been in the news, leading some companies to publicly back off of DEI programs (or double down on them).
What we found: A majority now say that companies should remain neutral on social and political issues. Overall, that desire for neutrality on social issues is up 5 points, with most of that driven by the GOP, who are almost twice as likely to agree as Democrats. Similar patterns exist with political issues, though about half of Democrats also agree that brands should stay out of politics.
However, there isn’t really a change in the number who say that they would boycott a company that takes a stand they don’t agree with. About half would boycott based on either social or political stances. Despite the current wave of conservative boycotts, it’s actually Democrats who are a bit more likely to make that threat. Few think that brands should take a stand on social media, but Democrats are twice as likely to support that (39% vs 19%).
More insights from this wave of the Ipsos Consumer Tracker:
Home, office or hybrid? How Americans want to work is slowly shifting
Most think tariffs will increase prices, but aren’t doing anything about it
New signs show Americans are worried about budgets
Here's what Americans actually did during the holidays
The Ipsos Care-o-Meter: What does America know about vs. what does America care about
