A new report finds fewer Americans support corporate involvement in and advocacy for social issues today than in 2022.
According to a survey by the Public Affairs Council (PAC), 57% of Americans surveyed said they support companies that address racism, down from 66% in 2022.
The report said the differences between Democrats and Republicans are “striking” because Republicans tend to be more pro-business than the left. In general, support for corporate involvement in “hot button” social issues has declined over the past year, with this decline attributed to politicians accusing corporations of being too “woke.” The report suggests that this may be the cause.
Axios, which first reported the study, said that “no company wants to become a political football ahead of the 2024 election,” so it’s important to understand how companies respond to social issues and their efforts in the public eye. He said it’s important how people see it.
Democrats were more likely than Republicans to say that major corporations should be involved in issues of racial and gender discrimination. The survey found that Democrats prefer companies that take positions on voting rights, human rights, access to education, environmental improvement, affordable housing, and hunger.
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Fifty-eight percent of Democrats say they support corporate advocacy for the DACA program, while 32% of Republicans say they want companies to participate in the program.
Companies were viewed more favorably by Democrats and Republicans when they supported the environment and sustainability than when they supported DACA and abortion, for example.
“Not surprisingly, respondents were divided when asked about corporate involvement in the abortion issue,” the report said.
More than half of Democrats (54%) say major corporations should be involved in conversations about abortion rights, while 27% of Republicans agree.
Still, companies are gaining some recognition for their efforts to reduce racial discrimination. An increase of 5% from last year, 26% of Americans believe that companies have played an active role in reducing racial discrimination. 15% said businesses had played a negative role, and 40% said there had been no change in reducing racial discrimination nationally.
The results of the PAC study mirror other similar reports. A Bentley University/Gallup poll in May found that more people now believe that companies should not take public positions on current events than they did a few years ago.
PAC’s survey was conducted among 2,219 adults between September 1 and 3, and has a margin of error of 2 percentage points.
Updated at 4:22 p.m.
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