2023

Business & Politics

67% of Americans say the country is more divided today than in the past. Edelman’s 2023 Trust Barometer

Economic Opportunity

People fear for their economic future without a trust safety net. Only 40% of respondents say they and their families will be better off in five years, a 10-point decline from 2022. Edelman’s 2023 Trust Barometer

ESG

Nine in 10 companies have publicly announced sustainability commitments. However, only 58% are implementing programs to advance those commitments. Google Cloud’s 2023 Sustainability Survey

Point-Of-Sale

59.1% of consumers would be more inclined to donate if the retailer matched the donation. Accelerist’s 2023 Checkout for Change

35% of consumers prefer for donations to support local issues. Accelerist’s 2023 Checkout for Change

There is still a high preference interested in in-store donations versus online donations. However, consumers between ages 18 – 34 have a larger preference (22%) to online donations compared to other age groups. Accelerist’s 2023 Checkout for Change

The Numbers

62% say the social fabric that once held the country together has grown too weak to serve as a foundation for unity and common purpose. Edelman’s 2023 Trust Barometer

2022

Consumer Preference

86% of investors say companies should work for the benefit of all stakeholders, not just shareholders. 2021 Porter Novelli Purpose Premium Index

General Cause

75% of Americans say it is no longer acceptable for companies just to make money; they must positively impact society too. 2021 Porter Novelli Purpose Premium Index

73% say to win their support, companies must show how they are supporting communities and the environment. Porter Novelli Purpose Premium Index

69% say they are less likely to support companies that are clearly only in business to make money. Porter Novelli Purpose Premium Index

Social Justice

#HumanRights overtook the top spot for social impact causes, dropping #BlackLivesMatter slightly to number two. Case And Cause Influence, 2021 Year In Review

Corporate social impact teams lack both diversity and lived experience. ACCP, Advancing Equity In The Corporate Social Impact Profession

More than half of young Americans face mental health challenges or know someone who is – and believe we all share responsibility Case And Cause Influence, 2021 Year In Review

Concern that corporate racial equity commitment may be fleeting, particularly among BIPOC professionals. ACCP, Advancing Equity In The Corporate Social Impact Profession

Most young Americans believed they understood President Biden’s build back better plan and the recent spending bill; however, they said, affordable housing, affordable child care and healthcare needed more attention. ACCP, Advancing Equity In The Corporate Social Impact Profession

2021

Social Justice

59% of Americans say it is no longer acceptable for companies to be silent on social justice issues and a further 49% say they assume companies that remain quiet on social justice issues don’t care. Porter Novelli’s 2021 Business & Social Justice Study

66% say they appreciate when companies they haven’t heard from before join the dialogue, but 60 percent will hold a company accountable when it makes a statement of support around specific social justice issues. Porter Novelli’s 2021 Business & Social Justice Study

More than half (58%) of employees today say they hold their employer to a higher standard than other companies when it comes to addressing social justice issues and 43% say they are reconsidering their current job because their company is not doing enough to address social justice issues externally. Porter Novelli’s 2021 Business & Social Justice Study

Consumer Preference

How purpose impacts purchasing decisions: 66% would consider a company’s purpose when making purchase decisions; 62% believe a company’s purpose is an important factor when making a quick or impulse purchase; 71% would purchase from a purpose-driven company over the alternative when cost and quality are equal and 78% are more likely to remember a company with a strong purpose. Porter Novelli’s 2021 Purpose Perception Study

78% of exit survey respondents indicated they are more likely to remember a company with a strong Purpose. Porter Novelli’s 2021 Purpose Perception Study

Nearly three-quarters (72%) of Americans feel more empowered than ever before to share their thoughts or opinions about companies. Porter Novelli’s 2021 Business Of Cancel Culture Study

Employee Engagement

43% said their employer is not doing well on taking the issue of employee burnout seriously. 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer

Belief-driven employees are more loyal, committed and likely to advocate for an organization. 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer

Brand Purpose / Values

In the world of cancel culture, companies are accountable for both their brand voice but also those of their employees—especially as this relates to leadership. The majority of Americans (87%) think companies need to take responsibility for the words and statements of executives. Porter Novelli’s 2021 Business Of Cancel Culture Study

Americans see cancelling a brand as a way to not only get attention (69%) for an issue or act, but also change a company’s ways (68%). Porter Novelli’s 2021 Business Of Cancel Culture Study

2020

Black Lives Matter

Three-quarters (76%) say a company’s marketing and advertising should be more reflective of the diverse and inclusive business they aspire to be, and more than half (54%) say if they don’t see themselves represented in a company’s marketing and communications, they are less likely to want to support that company. Porter Novelli’s 2020 Addressing Social Justice & Diversity In Communications

71% of Americans believe companies have more responsibility than ever before to address social justice issues and 56% say companies that do not talk about social justice issues in their marketing or communications are out of touch. Porter Novelli’s 2020 The Business Imperative For Social Justice Today

Americans stand ready to call out companies they feel haven’t done the work. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of Americans say when a company takes a stand on an issue, they will do research to see if it’s being authentic. Porter-Novelli’s 2020 COVID-19 Tracker

Young Americans trust social movements and nonprofits the most to do what’s right relating to racial inequality, discrimination and social injustice for Black People. Cause And Social Influence’s 2020 Influencing Young America To Act Social Report

77% say companies that have strong DE&I policies have more credibility to engage in social justice conversations but 76% think companies need to make more progress on advancing DE&I in the workplace. Porter Novelli’s 2020 The Business Imperative For Social Justice Today

Nearly 50% of young Americans think President Donald Trump is addressing racial issues “not well at all.” The next-highest rating is “moderately well” at 16% among white/Caucasian respondents. Cause And Social Influence’s 2020 Influencing Young America To Act Social Report

COVID-19

57% of nonprofits say they’re operating with reduced resources compared to pre-COVID. 19% are operating with the same or more resources; 23% temporarily halted operations; 1% permanently halted operations. VolunteerMatch’s 2020 The Impact of COVID-19 on Volunteering

Employees are even more likely (81%) to think the coronavirus pandemic will force companies to act more responsibly in the long-term, compared to the average American (70%). Porter Novelli’s 2020 Employee Perspectives on Responsible Leadership During Crisis 

74% say a brand’s impact on society is a reason why brand trust has become more important. Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Brand Trust in 2020

67% of respondents wanted brands to donate to people who have lost wages. SheerID’s 2020 Frontline Workers

While 40% of respondents think it’s a good thing for brands to find a way to stay relevant amid the coronavirus outbreak, a third feel that marketers should only advertise if they’ve taken direct action to address the situation. The Harris Poll’s 2020 Coronavirus Report

62% believe our country will not make it through this crisis without brands playing a critical role in addressing the challenges we face. Edelman’s 2020 COVID-19 Brand Trust Report

63% expect companies to continue efforts around social and environmental issues, even after the pandemic Porter Novelli’s 2020 COVID-19 Tracker

Consumer Preference

51% of respondents said online influencers or content creators were a source of information about a social issue they cared about. Cause & Social Influence’s 2021 Influencing Young America To Act

When consumers think a brand has a strong Purpose, they are 6 times more likely to protect the company in the event of a misstep or public criticism. Zeno’s 2020 Strength of Purpose

Seventy-nine percent of all consumers today state it is important for brands to provide guaranteed authenticity, like certifications, when they’re purchasing goods. IBM’s 2020 Purpose and Provenance Drive Bigger Profits for Consumer Goods

Nearly three-quarters (74%) of respondents believe CEOs should take the lead on change rather than waiting for the government to impose it (up 9 points from 2019). Edelman’s 2020 Trust Barometer

When consumers think a brand has a strong Purpose, they are 4.5 times more likely to champion the company and recommend it to friends and family. Zeno’s 2020 Strength of Purpose

Brand Purpose/Values

85% of executives believe that being a purpose-driven company drives profit. Porter Novelli’s 2020 Executive Purpose Study

Global executives attribute 63% of their company’s market value to their company’s overall reputation. Weber Shandwick And KRC Research’s 2020 State Of Corporate Reputation

Ethical drivers (76%) are 3x more important to company trust than competence (24%). Edelman’s 2020 Trust Barometer

While 63% of respondents believe purpose is an important aspect of culture, only 24% believe that their company’s engagement with society impacts culture. Carol Cone on Purpose, ANA and The Harris Poll’s 2020 B2B Purpose Paradox

Only 24% of respondents said purpose is embedded in their business to the point of influencing culture, innovation, operations and their engagement with society. Carol Cone on Purpose, ANA and The Harris Poll’s 2020 B2B Purpose Paradox

Point Of Sale

Over 75% of consumers ages 18 – 54 have donated at POS in the last 12 months. Only 2/3 of consumers over 54 have donated at POS. Accelerist’s 2020 How Consumers Feel About Giving To Charity At Checkout During A Global Pandemic And Recession

45% prefer to designate a charity from a list of options, while 43% prefer to donate from a cause identified by the retailer. Accelerist’s 2020 How Consumers Feel About Giving To Charity At Checkout During A Global Pandemic And Recession

Campaign Planning & Partnerships

When asked about how specific partnerships performed, 60% reported flat or increased corporate partner dollars or contributions in 2020, with the largest group (44%) reporting a decrease. For Momentum’s 2021 Nonprofit And Corporate Partnership Dynamics Survey

Partnership activations in 2020 were different than prior years. Over half of respondents (52%) reported simplified partnership activations with 1/3 (36%) reporting more complex activations. For Momentum’s 2021 Nonprofit And Corporate Partnership Dynamics Survey

Operational challenges (41%) and managing relationships/expectations of the corporate partner (30%) ranked highest among the challenges of BIC Cause Campaigns. For Momentum’s 2020 Key Elements Of Best In Class Cause Campaigns

2019

The Numbers

Cause sponsorship is predicted to reach $2.23 billion in 2019, a projected increase of 4.6% over 2018. IEG  Sponsorship Report

Consumer Preferences

Only 34% of consumers trust most of the brands they buy or use. Edelman’s 2019 Trust Barometer

Two-thirds (63%) of consumers trust what influencers say about brands much more than what brands say about themselves in their advertising. Edelman’s 2019 Trust Barometer

Gen Z/Millennials

Two-thirds (64%) of Gen Z believes that supporting social issues online is more effective at making a difference than doing something in their communities. Porter Novelli/Cone 2019 Gen Z Purpose Study

Gen Z says the environment (26%) is the top issue they want companies to address in 2019, moving to the top of the list over poverty and hunger, the priority issue in 2017. Porter Novelli/Cone 2019 Gen Z Purpose Study

Institutional Investors

54% of institutional investors agreed that ESG initiatives lead to favorable impact on growth, followed by risk management (54%), reputation (51%) and return on investment (47%). Edelman’s 2019 Trust Barometer Special Report: Institutional Investors

2018

The Numbers

Cause sponsorship is predicted to reach $2.14 billion in 2018, a projected increase of 4.4% over 2017. IEG Sponsorship Report

Brand Purpose/Values

88% would buy a product from a Purpose-driven company and 66% would switch from a product they typically buy to a new product from a Purpose-driven company. 2018 Cone/Porter Novelli Purpose Study

78% would tell others to buy products from Purpose-driven companies, and 68% are more willing to share content with their social networks over that of traditional companies. 2018 Cone/Porter Novelli Purpose Study

Purpose leads over low-cost or high-quality products in 5 of 8 consumer actions. 2018 Cone/Porter Novelli Purpose Study

92% of consumers could not correctly match more than half of the brands tested to their stands 2018 Shelton Group’s ‘Brands & Stands: Social Purpose is the New Black’

65% of consumers are influenced to buy a brand, product or service by the words, actions, values and beliefs of a company’s employees—not just the CEO or marketing spokesperson. Accenture’s 2018 Global Consumer Pulse Research

34% of consumers felt better about the brands tested after learning what stands they take. 2018 Shelton Group’s ‘Brands & Stands: Social Purpose is the New Black’

Among marketing leaders, 76% think their organization has a defined purpose, but only one in 10 have a corporate purpose statement that’s backed by a meaningful activation plan. Kantar Consulting’s new Purpose 2020 report.

The majority of respondents have never researched the ethical standards of a company before making a purchase. Of the 35% who have, the product categories they were most likely to research were:  groceries (48%), personal care/cosmetics (46%), and household goods (41%). Critical Mix’s Spotlight on CSR

Sixty-six percent of respondents say posts from brands rarely or never influence their opinions on social issues. Rather, respondents believe brands are more effective on social media when they announce donations to specific causes (39%) and encourage followers to take specific steps to support causes (37%), such as participating in events or making their own donations. Sprout Social’s ‘Championing Change in the Age of Social Media’ 2018

Economic Impact of Purpose

Brands with a high sense of purpose have experienced a brand valuation increase of 175% over the past 12 years, compared to the median growth rate of 86% and the 70% growth rate for brands with a low sense of purpose. Kantar Consulting’s new Purpose 2020 report.

Politics and Brand Activism

46% of all consumers believe that brands have better ideas for solving our country’s problems than government. Edelman’s Earned Brand 2018

• Employees that neither donated or volunteered: 28% turnover
• Employees that only donated money: 18% turnover
• Employees that only volunteered time: 17% turnover
• Employees that both donated money and volunteered time: 12% turnover Benevity Engagement Study

2017

The Numbers

Cause sponsorship is predicted to reach $2.06 billion in 2017, a projected increase of 3.6% over 2016. IEG Sponsorship Report

Consumer Preference

33% of global consumers are now choosing to buy from brands they believe are doing social or environmental good. Unilever Consumer Study

51% of respondents sense that companies would like to help them live the life they seek, but nearly 2/3 struggle to name brands that are actually doing something about it. The Good Life (Sustainable Brands)

80% of consumers are loyal to businesses that help them to live the good life. The Good Life (Sustainable Brands)

33% of Americans think a company’s reputation is just as important as the products it makes AND have purchased a product more than once, because of this reason. MWWPR calls these people “CorpSumers”. They walk the talk. MWW’s CorpSumer Research

67% of CorpSumers would rather pay the full price for a product that supports a cause they believe in or reflects their personal values. MWW’s CorpSumer Research

63% of CorpSumers have switched from a company because they wanted to support things that another company does, such as charitable donations or social causes. MWW’s CorpSumer Research

51% of CorpSumers have stayed with a company whose products or services they were not completely satisfied with because they wanted to support other things that the company does. MWW’s CorpSumer Research

88% of CorpSumers are likely to share positive news or information about a company either in person or on social media. MWW’s CorpSumer Research

78% of CorpSumers are likely to share negative news or information about a company either in person or on social media. MWW’s CorpSumer Research

Gen Z/Millennials

Gen Z sees their wallets as the primary way to get engaged in CSR efforts, with nine-in-10 (90%) saying they would buy a product with a social or environmental benefit. 2017 Cone Gen Z CSR Study: How to Speak Z 

More than 70% of respondents said it was imperative or very important to work for an employer where mission and values align.  2017 Cone Gen Z CSR Study: How to Speak Z 

94% of Gen Z believe companies should help address social and environmental issues (vs. 87% Millennial, 86% General Population) 2017 Cone Gen Z CSR Study: How to Speak Z 

Economic Opportunity

An estimated $1.2 trillion opportunity exists for brands that make their sustainability credentials clear. Of Unilever’s hundreds of brands, those such as Dove, Hellmann’s and Ben & Jerry’s, that have integrated sustainability into both their purpose and products delivered nearly half the company’s global growth in 2015. Collectively, they are also growing 30% faster than the rest of the business.  Unilever Consumer Study

83% of companies that over-perform on revenue growth link everything they do to brand purpose, as opposed to only 31% of under performers. Interbrand Best Global Brands 2017

Brands with a purpose set on improving our quality of life outperform the stock market by 120%. Interbrand Best Global Brands 2017

Point of Sale

72% of consumers have donated to charity at the register and 65% of consumers felt positively about the retailer after giving. Of the 28% who do not donate at the register, 44% say it was because they “don’t know anything about the cause”. Catalist’s Revelations at the Register 

Employee Engagement

53% of adults & 60% of Millennials say it’s critical to work somewhere that aligns with their purpose/values. The Good Life (Sustainable Brands)

82% of employees and executives have more confidence in companies with a strong sense of purpose. Interbrand Best Global Brands 2017

More than 70% of respondents said it was imperative or very important to work for an employer where mission and values align.  2017 Cone Gen Z CSR Study: How to Speak Z 

Brand Activism

50% of global consumers are “belief-driven” buyers, willing to buy a brand, switch from it or boycott it based on a brand’s stance on controversial or social issue. 2017 Edelman Earned Brand Study

78% want companies to address important social justice issues. 2017 Cone Communications CSR Study

87% will purchase a product because a company advocated for an issue they cared about and 76% will refuse to purchase a company’s products or services upon learning it supported an issue contrary to their beliefs. 2017 Cone Communications CSR Study

63% of Americans are hopeful businesses will take the lead to drive social and environmental change moving forward, in the absence of government regulation. 2017 Cone Communications CSR Study 

2016

Millennials

75% of millennials would take a pay cut to work for a socially responsible company. 76% of Millennials consider a company’s social and environmental commitments when deciding where to work and nearly two-thirds (64%) won’t take a job if a potential employer doesn’t have strong corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices. 88% say their job is more fulfilling when they are provided opportunities to make a positive impact on social and environmental issues (vs. 74% U.S. average). 2016 Cone Communications Millennial Employee Engagement Study 

Employee Engagement

93% of employees surveyed want to work for a company that cares about them as an individual; 51% won’t work for a company that doesn’t have strong social and environmental commitments and 74% say their job is more fulfilling when they are provided opportunities to make a positive impact at work. Cone Communications Employee Engagement Study 

Brand Activism

80% of global consumers agree that business must play a role in addressing societal issues. 2016 Edelman Trust Barometer

Business and Politics

84% of Americans believe that businesses have a responsibility to bring social change on important issues, just behind the President (89%) and Congress (92%). 81% of Americans believe corporations should take action to address important issues facing society; and 88% believe corporations have the power to influence. 2016 Global Strategy Group’s Business & Politics: Do They Mix?