How Businesses Can Navigate a Polarized World

Public Relations — Tue., Feb. 14, 2023

Recent research from Edelman suggests businesses should act as trustworthy information sources, base actions on science, and avoid aligning with one political party in order to avoid being seen as politically motivated.

The survey of 32,000 people in 28 countries found that most agree that businesses can avoid being political when addressing contentious issues. To do this, they should be a trustworthy source of information (46%), base actions on science (43%), avoid aligning with one political party (39%), act on the same values over time (36%), and link their actions to staying competitive (33%).

The study also found that people expect CEOs to take a stand on issues such as treatment of employees (89%), climate change (82%), discrimination (80%), the wealth gap (77%), and immigration (72%). It was also suggested that government and business working in partnership is the approach most likely to result in constructive action on issues such as climate change, discrimination, immigration, employee treatment, and income inequality.

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