Corporations have a responsibility to lead on issues of the day, right behind the President and US Congress.
As we transition into a new presidential administration and what is likely to be a heightened issue environment, GSG’s fourth annual Business & Politics study finds that there is a real opportunity for corporations to demonstrate leadership on political and social issues – and many factors to consider when engaging.
Americans’ desire for corporate engagement in political and social issues is not just an expressed preference, but an expectation. In fact, 84% of Americans believe that businesses have a responsibility to bring social change on important issues, just behind the President (89%) and Congress (92%). The study also found that 81 percent of Americans believe corporations should take action to address important issues facing society; and 88 percent believe corporations have the power to influence social change.
Over the past four years, our research has documented a seismic shift in the public’s expectations for corporations to take a stance – and to take action – on political and social issues of the day. This year’s study continues to track these trends. In addition, taking a cue from the growing public expectation of corporations to “do good”, we took a deeper dive into how these actions can relate to CSR efforts—and how, in turn, corporations communicate these efforts to their employees, stakeholders, and customers.
Download the full report here.
This post originally appeared on GSG’s website on December 7, 2016.