Global Corporate Purpose Tracker
Consumers are demanding new and different kinds of corporate activism. In a world where trust in institutions has been on the retreat and ethical consumerism on the rise, people increasingly look to companies to take action on important geopolitical issues like addressing climate change and cybersecurity, human rights, and forced labor.
To help leaders chart a path forward, Morning Consult’s Global Corporate Purpose Tracker follows consumers’ expectations surrounding corporate activism and gauges global trust in business on a monthly basis, while diving deeper into the expectations of U.S. consumers specifically.
Key Takeaways
Majorities of adults in all 18 countries surveyed said they prefer to buy from brands that reflect their social values. The United States currently holds the bottom slot, but a majority (58%) of U.S. adults nevertheless express a preference for values-based purchasing. As America barrels toward the 2024 elections, companies concerned about increasing political weaponization of “wokeness” should keep a close eye on this metric as a top-line gauge of how Americans are feeling about the issue.
Nigeria and Brazil have bumped China from the top spot when it comes to the share of consumers who expressed a desire for ethical consumerism. However, Chinese consumers remain keen on buying from companies that reflect their social values, posing an ongoing risk for Western companies navigating heightened Chinese propensity to boycott based on geopolitical concerns or perceived cultural slights.
Only 42% of baby boomers believe that companies have become more globally aware, our lowest reading since January 2023. They are also the most likely to say they will boycott companies that engage in international behavior they disapprove of.
Foreign cyberthreats remain the top issue that U.S. consumers think CEOs should speak out or take action on amid ongoing concern over the role of artificial intelligence in geopolitics and future conflicts.
Values-Based Consumerism
Consumer Perceptions of Brands’ Global Awareness
Consumer Perceptions of Brands’ Overseas Practices
U.S. Consumers’ Willingness to Punish Brands for Their Global Practices
Consumer Demand for CEO Action
Source of This Data
Methodology
The Global Corporate Purpose Tracker relies on data collected through Morning Consult’s proprietary survey research capabilities. Interviews are conducted online toward the end of the indicated month. Data are weighted to approximate representative samples of adults in each country.
U.S. data reported in the tracker comes from a monthly survey conducted in the United States among representative samples of roughly 2,200 adults, with an unweighted margin of error of +/-2 percentage points.
For all other countries, surveys are conducted monthly among representative samples of roughly 1,000 adults per country, each with an unweighted margin of error of +/-3 percentage points.
Morning Consult updated its weights for Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, Spain, France, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States in January 2023.
About Morning Consult
Morning Consult is a global decision intelligence company changing how modern leaders make smarter, faster, better decisions. The company pairs its proprietary high-frequency data with applied artificial intelligence to better inform decisions on what people think and how they will act. Learn more at morningconsult.com.
Email [email protected] to speak with a member of Morning Consult's Geopolitical Risk Analysis team about the Global Corporate Purpose Tracker.
Sonnet Frisbie is the deputy head of political intelligence and leads Morning Consult’s geopolitical risk offering for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Prior to joining Morning Consult, Sonnet spent over a decade at the U.S. State Department specializing in issues at the intersection of economics, commerce and political risk in Iraq, Central Europe and sub-Saharan Africa. She holds an MPP from the University of Chicago.
Follow her on Twitter @sonnetfrisbie. Interested in connecting with Sonnet to discuss her analysis or for a media engagement or speaking opportunity? Email [email protected].
