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Neutral Is No Longer An Option: Taking a position in a polarised world

When every decision, whether compiling the weekly shopping list, buying a car, deciding on an energy provider or simply grabbing a sandwich is reliant on complex global supply chains, every choice can feel politicised.

It’s perhaps no surprise that as consumers, employees or just interested stakeholders, we increasingly expect organisations to share their perspective on the major issues of our time that, for most, are far beyond their purpose and operational focus.

Pressure to take a position can come from many sides, with those who feel strongest invariably the loudest voices. Yet commenting on issues where statements can be used to further specific agendas or simply in which you are not substantively involved, from geopolitics to so-called ‘culture wars,’ feels precarious. Pick the ‘wrong’ side and you risk condemnation and cancellation.

In partnership with research consultancy, Message House BPI we conducted a quantitative survey of 1,513 members of the public, 23-28 October 2024, to understand the potential impacts on consumer attitudes of whether and how organisations should take a position on four current key topics: the Environment, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, International Affairs and Party Politics. The total sample was weighted to be nationally representative of the UK.

Key Findings

While public debate may be loud, consumers don’t expect organisations to have a point of view on every issue.
But the Environment and Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) are the two issues where most do.
As a caution to CEOs keen to step into the current affairs arena, those surveyed were far less keen to hear views on International Affairs and (billionaire entrepreneurs, perhaps take note) Party Politics.
On the Environment, on the other hand, organisations can afford – and should perhaps – be bold. A strong position on helping to tackle climate change delivered the most positive impact across the topics tested.
On DE&I, organisations gain credit for taking a position underpinned by principles of decency and ‘treating people equally’ rather than leaning into specific agendas.
To have impact, organisations should remain highly selective in communicating about the issues they care about and stick with the same messages over time.
When viewed through a channel lens, overall, TikTok users have the highest expectation of organisations to have a viewpoint across all issues, however, LinkedIn users are not far behind on the Environment and DE&I.
While some audiences press for a firm point of view on more contentious issues – such as conflict in the Middle East – others react negatively and it harms their view of and inflames conversation about the brand.
Although staying neutral or silent may sometimes feel instinctively right, consumers do expect a considered position on more than just core business.
For more polarising issues, such as Party Politics or International Affairs, perhaps unsurprisingly, picking the ‘wrong’ side can have a large negative impact on how consumers consider your organisation.
However, stakeholders tend to feel more favourable to ‘engaged empathetic’ positions. Engaging in a way that is mindful of what you don’t know, while showing empathy for the people involved, is a baseline approach to navigate more polarised topics.
In a world that seems to demand instant response, while organisations might feel pressure to develop position immediately an issue emerges, most surveyed said they would prefer to wait for a well-considered perspective.
As identifying the right spokesperson for a topic is hotly debated by many organisations, it is interesting to note that respondents felt a company-wide statement had equivalent value to one attributed to the CEO.

These findings provide food for thought. If you would like to find out more about the data behind the findings, simply enter your name and email below and we’ll send you a copy of the full research report.