{"id":2057019,"date":"2023-10-05T18:03:02","date_gmt":"2023-10-05T22:03:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/woke-backlash-most-americans-dont-want-businesses-to-take-public-stances-on-current-issues-poll-says\/"},"modified":"2023-10-05T18:11:11","modified_gmt":"2023-10-05T22:11:11","slug":"woke-backlash-most-americans-dont-want-businesses-to-take-public-stances-on-current-issues-poll-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/woke-backlash-most-americans-dont-want-businesses-to-take-public-stances-on-current-issues-poll-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Poll: Majority of Americans Oppose Businesses Taking Public Stances on Current Issues"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwoke-backlash-most-americans-dont-want-businesses-to-take-public-stances-on-current-issues-poll-says%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2057019&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<p>According to a new poll, most\u2062 Americans are against businesses taking\u2064 public\u200b stances on political and social issues. This\u200d comes at a time when there is \u2062a growing backlash against corporate &#8220;wokeism.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>Surprisingly, nearly 60 percent \u2063of Americans now believe that businesses should not publicly express their opinions on\u2063 current events, an increase from 52 percent last \u2062year, as revealed by a <a href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/opinion\/gallup\/511346\/fewer-americans-back-businesses-wading-current-events.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recent Gallup poll<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The findings of the poll show a clear partisan divide, with political party affiliation being\u200c the strongest indicator of whether Americans support corporations taking a \u200dpublic stance on current affairs.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"border-comp-divider mb-4 mr-4 w-full max-w-[500px] border px-5 py-4 text-[16px] leading-[20px] text-[#262626] md:float-left\" id=\"in_article_related_stories\">\n<h2 class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/h2>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/article\/blackrocks-push-for-esg-faltering-due-to-massive-pushback-5480131?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>BlackRock&#8217;s Push for ESG Faltering Due to Massive Pushback<\/h3>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">8\/25\/2023<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/article\/blackrocks-push-for-esg-faltering-due-to-massive-pushback-5480131?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex gap-2\">\n<div class=\"grow\">\n<div class=\"mb-1 line-clamp-2\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/epochtv\/insurance-companies-flee-un-climate-club-as-antitrust-investigations-over-esg-ramp-up-kevin-stocklin-5463740?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>Insurance Companies Flee UN Climate Club as Antitrust Investigations Over ESG Ramp \u2063Up:\u200d Kevin\u200b Stocklin<\/h3>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">8\/14\/2023<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"shrink-0 basis-[120px]\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/epochtv\/insurance-companies-flee-un-climate-club-as-antitrust-investigations-over-esg-ramp-up-kevin-stocklin-5463740?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>An overwhelming 62 percent of Democrats, compared to a mere 17 percent of Republicans, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/woke-backlash-most-americans-dont-want-businesses-to-take-public-stances-on-current-issues-poll-says\/\" title=\"Poll: Majority of Americans Oppose Businesses Taking Public Stances on Current Issues\">support companies taking \u200bpublic stands<\/a> on current issues.<\/p>\n<p>While\u200c Americans \u2062generally oppose businesses expressing their opinions, there are a few exceptions. A majority of Americans\u2064 believe that companies should weigh in on climate change (55 percent) and \u2062mental health (52 percent).<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, the issues that Americans feel businesses should avoid discussing include abortion (26 percent), political candidates (19 \u2064percent), \u200band \u2062religion (15 percent).<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode post-related-videos\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>The poll results, particularly the significant 8 percentage point increase in the number of Americans opposing corporations taking public stances on issues, coincide with a growing resistance \u200dagainst &#8220;woke&#8221; companies promoting leftist agendas. <\/p>\n<h2>Pushback \u200cAgainst &#8216;Woke&#8217; Corporations<\/h2>\n<p>From conservative <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/kelloggs-faces-go-woke-go-broke-boycott-calls-as-dylan-mulvaney-links-arms-with-tony-the-tiger-5328352\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">boycotts against<\/a> Bud Light for their partnership with transgender social\u2064 media personality Dylan Mulvaney, to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/article\/judge-lets-starbucks-keep-its-race-based-hiring-quotas-5460141\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lawsuits against<\/a> Starbucks over their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/universities-race-based-hiring-policies-are-present-injustices-meant-to-fix-past-ones\/\" title=\"Universities\u2019 Race-Based Hiring Policies Are Present Injustices Meant To Fix Past Ones\">race-based hiring policies<\/a>, and even \u2062Target&#8217;s $13 billion stock plunge, corporate social activism has become a prominent issue in recent times.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Target has faced numerous boycotts, including one in 2016 when \u2064they implemented \u200ba policy\u2064 allowing individuals who identify as women to use \u2064women&#8217;s \u2062bathrooms. More\u200b recently, the company received criticism for selling LGBT-themed items and clothing, including those for children. This sparked conservative calls for boycotts and resulted in a significant decline in their stock price.<\/p>\n<p>At the beginning of May, before the launch of their LGBT-themed collection, Target&#8217;s\u2062 market capitalization was around $73 billion. As of October 4th, the company&#8217;s market valuation stands at $49.2 billion.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>A customer leaves one of the stores of discount retail chain \u2064Target in Ancaster, Canada, on Jan. 15, 2015. (Peter Power\/Reuters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>&#8216;A Lot of Unhappy Cowboys&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>Kevin O&#8217;Leary, a venture capitalist and \u200btelevision personality from &#8220;Shark Tank,&#8221;\u2063 recently\u2064 stated that part of Target&#8217;s multibillion-dollar stock plunge was a message from \u200binvestors to corporations that push progressive leftist agendas: &#8220;Get woke,\u2062 go broke.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;If you start\u200b to get too distant or too far away from the primary mandate, the market has proven itself to really, really punish you,&#8221; Mr. O&#8217;Leary told Fox News in \u2062June.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>&#8220;When you lose $13 billion of market cap, there are\u200b a lot of unhappy cowboys out there. They&#8217;re called your investors,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<div>By \u200ccontrast, Target CEO Brian Cornell defended woke corporate policies when asked about the backlash against companies publicly \u2064taking up left-leaning causes.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cI think those are just good\u200d business decisions, and it\u2019s the right thing for society, and it\u2019s the great thing \u2062for our brand,\u201d Mr.\u200c Cornell said during Fortune\u2019s \u201cLeadership\u2064 Next\u201d \u2062podcast earlier this \u2062year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe\u200d things \u2062we\u2019ve done from a DE&#038;I [diversity, equity, and inclusion] standpoint,\u200b it\u2019s \u200badding value,\u201d Mr. Cornell \u2063said, referring to policies that a number of prominent conservatives have criticized as leftist.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>Experts suggest that one of the driving factors behind brands promoting transgender ideologies\u2064 is the desire to score points on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards, which align \u200dwith DEI principles.<\/p>\n<h2>&#8216;It&#8217;s The Whole Country&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>Scott Shepard, a fellow at the \u2064free-market public policy research group National Center for Public \u200bPolicy Research,\u2062 highlighted the growing opposition to ESG in the\u200d United States.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re seeing something very different this time because it\u2019s not just the conservatives, who are always \u2063interested in this sort of thing; it\u2019s the whole country,\u201d Mr. Shepard \u2062said, referring to\u200b the boycott calls faced by \u2062brands \u200clike \u2063Bud Light and Target for embracing left-wing principles.<\/p>\n<p>ESG, which initially started as guidelines, has now evolved into mandates\u200c promoting controversial\u200d &#8220;social justice&#8221; ideologies, he explained.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Shepard also pointed out that ESG initiatives \u200dcould expose businesses to legal action if they are found to breach\u200d their fiduciary responsibility to shareholders.<\/p>\n<p>Recently, rating agency S&#038;P Global decided to stop using ESG scores to assess corporate borrowers due to concerns over the usefulness of such metrics \u200dand the broader backlash \u2063against woke agendas.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEffective immediately, we are no longer\u2063 publishing new\u200d ESG credit indicators in our reports or updating outstanding ESG credit\u200b indicators,\u201d the rating agency announced in a statement obtained \u200bby The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n<p>The agency hinted that the lack of effectiveness\u200d was the reason for dropping the ESG scoring system, which has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/university-of-bristol-fires-professor-who-called-for-targeting-zionist-jewish-groups\/\" title=\"University of Bristol Fires Professor Who Called for Targeting \u2018Zionist\u2019 Jewish Groups\">faced strong criticism<\/a> from conservatives \u200bwho view it as a manifestation of leftist or even neo-Marxist agendas within corporations.<\/p>\n<p>S&#038;P Global, one of the world\u2019s largest raters of\u200b corporate debt, \u200dfaced calls for an investigation last year by a \u2064coalition of Republican attorneys general.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToo many consumers \u2064and investors have been \u2063hurt by \u2062the woke\u200c ESG movement\u2019s obsession with radical social change and willingness to ignore the law,\u201d \u200bsaid Texas \u2064Attorney General Ken Paxton in a statement in \u200cSeptember 2022.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re investigating\u200c S&#038;P Global to find out whether they\u2019ve engaged in the types\u2062 of destructive, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/reasonable-to-conclude-visa-knowingly-helped-monetize-child-porn-says-judge-in-pornhub-case\/\" title=\"Reasonable To Conclude Visa Knowingly Helped Monetize Child Porn, Says Judge In Pornhub Case\">illegal business practices<\/a> that are so pervasive in the ESG movement. If so, they will have to answer for their actions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The investigation is still\u2063 ongoing.<\/p>\n<p>Several other companies, including PetSmart, Chick-fil-A, \u2062and Walmart, have also faced boycott calls due to alleged support of leftist agendas.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What is one concern critics of corporate &#8220;wokeism&#8221; \u200bhave\u2062 regarding businesses \u2062taking public \u200bstances on sensitive\u200b issues?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Ejection of corporate &#8220;wokeism.&#8221; \u200dThe \u2063term &#8220;wokeism&#8221; refers to when companies align \u2063themselves with progressive political and social \u2063causes, often through public statements \u2064or advertisements.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The backlash against\u200c corporate &#8220;wokeism&#8221; can be attributed to several factors. \u200cFirstly, many Americans view businesses primarily as \u200ceconomic entities, whose main purpose is to provide\u2062 goods and services and generate profits. They argue that companies should focus on their\u2063 core competencies\u200d and \u2062refrain from getting involved in political and social\u2064 debates.<\/p>\n<p>Secondly, \u2064critics of corporate\u200b &#8220;wokeism&#8221; argue that \u2064businesses\u2062 taking public stances on sensitive issues can alienate a significant portion of their customer base. By expressing opinions on controversial topics, companies risk polarizing their customer base and potentially losing customers who hold different views. This can have negative consequences \u200cfor their bottom\u2063 line.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, some Americans view\u200d corporate &#8220;wokeism&#8221; as insincere and opportunistic. They believe that businesses often adopt progressive stances not out\u200c of genuine\u200c conviction, but to improve their image\u200b or attract certain demographics. This perceived lack\u2063 of\u200d authenticity can further fuel skepticism and\u200d opposition towards companies engaging in political and\u200d social issues.<\/p>\n<p>The partisan divide revealed by the poll results also\u2064 highlights the role of political ideology in shaping opinions\u200b on \u200cthis matter. \u2064Democrats, who tend \u200cto lean more progressive, are more supportive of corporations taking public stances\u200b on \u200ccurrent affairs. Republicans, on the\u200d other\u200d hand, \u2063who generally hold more conservative views, are more likely to oppose\u200d businesses expressing their opinions.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the overall opposition to businesses taking public stances, the poll shows that there are certain issues that Americans believe companies should engage with. Climate change and mental health, for \u200cexample, \u200dare seen as important topics where corporate involvement can have a positive impact. These findings suggest that Americans \u2064are not entirely against businesses addressing societal \u2064issues, as long as they are deemed relevant and appropriate.<\/p>\n<p>However, there are \u2064certain topics that Americans feel businesses\u2064 should avoid discussing. Abortion, political candidates, and religion are among the issues that a significant\u2063 percentage of Americans believe \u2062companies\u2063 should refrain from taking a public stance on. These topics are often highly divisive, and companies wading into\u200b these debates can ignite controversy and\u2062 intensify\u2063 divisions.<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, the recent Gallup poll indicates that a majority of Americans are against businesses taking public\u200d stances on\u200b political and social issues. The growing backlash against corporate\u200c &#8220;wokeism&#8221; reflects concerns about businesses straying from\u2064 their core functions, alienating customers, and being perceived as insincere. While there are exceptions, such as\u200b climate change \u200cand mental health, Americans generally\u2062 believe that companies \u200dshould avoid getting involved in sensitive and divisive topics. As political and social issues continue to dominate public\u2063 discourse, the question of whether businesses should express their opinions will likely \u200cremain a contentious and debated issue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A recent Gallup poll reveals that the majority of Americans, now at nearly 60%, oppose businesses expressing their views on political and social matters. This sentiment has grown from 52% last year, reflecting a broader resistance to corporate &#8220;wokeism.&#8221; The issue also exhibits a significant partisan divide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":2057020,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2057019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2057019","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/118"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2057019"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2057019\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2057020"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2057019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2057019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2057019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}