Almost half (47%) of Americans believe it is inappropriate for corporations to make public statements about political or social issues, according to a new Ipsos/Axios survey. Only one-fifth (21%) believe it is appropriate, with about a third (32%) neutral on the subject.
The survey, conducted between May 30 and June 1, revealed significant partisan gaps in responses. Only 10% of Republicans believe it is acceptable for companies to make public statements on hot-button issues, while 38% of Democrats agree.
These beliefs are reflected in the consumer activity of each group. Almost a quarter (24%) of Republican respondents reported they have “completely stopped purchasing from a company because of their stance on politics or current events.” For Democrats, 40% have boycotted a company due to its public stances on social issues.
Only 15% of Republicans have gone out of their way to support a company over their public stances, while 31% of Democrats have done so.
However, when the question was narrowed down to whether a company has an obligation to speak out on issues that affect its employees, there was much greater support for them doing so. More than half (58%) of all respondents believe they should speak out on issues affecting their employees. Almost half (45%) of Republicans and three-fourths (75%) of Democrats believe companies are obligated to do so.
The survey found respondents saw little to no distinction between large corporations, small businesses and colleges and universities when asked about speaking out on political issues.
The report’s methodology and topline results can be found here.
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