A new survey of 9,000 people in the United States shows that consumers are willing to support companies that support the causes important to them. Just over half of respondents said that they had actively supported a cause of importance of them over the last half a year. Almost 70 per cent among this group reported being altruistically active on more than one front, and were engaged in activities such as making monetary donations, signing petitions and participating in protests.
Build a better planet
Americans of all ages expressed willingness to stand up for what they thought was important. Issues supported varied, with the topics of stopping global warming and strengthening anti-firearms legislation being particularly popular. Other matters of concern included boosting animal rights, and protecting and promoting opportunities related to women and children, plus expanding access to educational opportunities throughout society. Survey takers reported significant interest in willingness to support and buy from companies perceived as being in synch with their own values.
Towards egalitarianism, maybe
The onus is on companies to evidence their engagement in helping build a fairer society. Although 180 firms in the US recently signed an agreement to enacting economic policy that would support all people in the country, over half of respondents said that they doubted that companies would actually deliver on this promise. If and when companies took a position contrary to their own, almost 75 per cent of American consumers said they could overlook this and still buy their products and services. However, around half of respondents said they would need a good reason from a company’s leadership explaining their position.
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