Brands that tend to lean conservative experienced significant corporate reputational improvement because of increased trust from independents as well as some Democrats, according to a poll published on Wednesday.
Corporate reputations have plunged to their lowest point since before the COVID-19 pandemic, but conservative-leaning companies ranked among the highest, according to the Axios/Harris Poll 100. Close to two-thirds of the 100 companies had decreased reputation scores, which reflect a brand’s trust, character, ethics, vision, citizenship, growth and products and services, while three of the 15 companies that rose over half a point were Hobby Lobby, the Trump Organization and Fox Corporation, according to Axios. (RELATED: Meet The Investors And Activists Fighting To ‘Depoliticize’ America’s ‘Radically Left-Wing’ Corporations)
Traditionally conservative-leaning brands saw sizable gains in corporate reputation thanks to growing trust from independents and some Democrats, according to new rankings from the annual Axios/Harris Poll 100. https://t.co/a9fzfcENla
— Axios (@axios) May 22, 2024
“Many independents, and even some Democrats in this year’s survey are drifting rightward, which accounts for the boost in reputations of many of the more traditional or conservatively-leaning companies,” Harris Poll CEO John Gerzema told Axios. “There seems to be a move to the center on attitudes towards companies and their role in society. I feel this could be an important finding because swing voters are going to determine the outcome of the election, and as of yet are hard to pin down.”
The Trump organization saw a 12.4 point-increase in trust from independents while Hobby Lobby experienced an eight-point rise in trust among Democrats, according to Axios. A greater number of independents and Democrats believe Fox Corporation and Hobby Lobby align with their values.
Americans of all political backgrounds appear to be significantly skeptical of left-wing corporate agendas, such as diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), according to the poll. Bud Light’s parent company Anheuser-Busch, which collaborated with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, experienced a six-point drop while Target’s reputation declined after backlash to selling an LGBT “Pride” collection.
Many corporations are cutting back on or rebranding their DEI initiatives to evade scrutiny as conservatives have pushed back on these programs with legal efforts. Their concern about legal scrutiny ratcheted up after the Supreme Court struck down race-based admissions at Harvard and the University of North Carolina in June.
The rankings were based on a survey of 16,500 Americans, which was conducted between March 6-18.
The Trump Organization, Hobby Lobby and Fox Corporation did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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