When consumers, employees and practically every other audience expects organisations to share their perspective on the major topics of our age, claiming neutrality on issues beyond core purpose is no longer an option. But taking a position can feel fraught with risk. Wherever you land, you simply won’t – and can’t – please everyone.
Our autumn 2024 research explored how organisations taking specific positions on topics including Sustainability, DE&I and Party Politics affected consumer attitudes and behaviour.
Just as many leaders felt they were already walking through a minefield, the new US administration set out a clear expectation that businesses must fall in line with its approach with stark consequences for organisations that don’t. Advancing the ‘wrong’ position is high risk for both bottom line and reputation.
With the second Trump presidency at full steam, we surveyed 1,500 UK consumers again, to understand the potential impacts of seismic shifts in the White House. Here’s what we found:
- Despite the topics becoming more politically contested, a majority of UK consumers still want businesses to have a point of view on The Environment and DE&I. All saw an increase in personal importance for consumers.
- Regardless (or because?) of US policy shifts, a clear commitment to tackling climate change delivered the most positive impact across tested topics.
- While there is consensus around the instability driven by the current US administration, taking a position on party politics contains significant risk. Businesses who enter debate must tread carefully.
- Trump’s ‘flooding the zone’ with announcements is dominating debate – even in the UK. Only select businesses with clear stories, often told over successive campaigns / years, are cutting through.
- Those seeking short term gain by changing policy for commercial gain beware – consumers are wise to this and flip flopping leaves a bad taste.
- Younger women, holding left-leaning political views are still the lead group in calling for business to have a point of view across a range of issues. However, Reform voters, a growing portion of the population (self-identifying at 18%), are more sceptical about whether businesses should take a position on non-core activity.
- UK-focused businesses need to think carefully about how they adapt to the new political context, establishing consistent principles and being thoughtful about how they are expressed with each audience.
- There is some empathy for balancing business need versus contradictory stakeholder expectations in conversations with the new administration – 43% of UK consumers were unsure whether they should cooperate or hold fast to long held polices.
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