Report: Navigating Political Minefields

With political forces putting greater scrutiny on corporate actions and engagement on societal issues, companies find themselves under pressure amongst a divided population.  As the general election gets underway, we explored the current state of the election and expectations for businesses in addressing key issues. 

Replay our Think Thursday (log in required) with Jason McGrath, EVP and Head of Corporate Reputation at Ipsos, and Jennifer Bender, Associate Partner at Ipsos Strategy3, to hear their thoughts on the implications the data has on American businesses.

Ipsos and Page Society : Navigating Political Minefields

Special thanks to Jason McGrath and Jennifer Bender

Agenda: Landscape, Forecast, and Implications

Agenda Item One: Landscape

Populism remains strong, feeling that the "system is broken" is widespread

Most Americans feel frustrated with the "system"

Extremism/threats to democracy is now the most important issue for Americans

The main issue can and does shift

Consumer confidence still middling as inflation eases

President Biden's approval remains low

Americans are sour on Trump and Biden

The 2024 election is still roughly a tie

Most Americans have stable political opinions

The economy, crime, immigration are top issues among Trump voters

Politics influences thinking about almost everything

Public more confident in the leaders of major companies over leaders of executive branch

Americans think the government and brands/companies should share the burden when it comes to social issues

Political beliefs affect some companies' brand perception

Agenda Item Two: Forecast

A poll does NOT EQUAL a forecast

Trump (Red Wave) Scenario In-depth

Biden (Blue Wave) Scenario Overview

Models, Academics, Experts and Aggregators

Potential trajectories for the next 8 months

Potential outcomes for 2024

Agenda Item Three: Implications & Strategy

The 2024 election cycle will create a lot of uncertainty and anxiety, both for consumers and brands

Commonalities are just as important as differences in scenario planning

As an illustrative example, we've created a high-level scenario for each of these extremes

Biden (Blue Wave) Scenario In-depth

Trump (Red Wave) Scenario Overview

Scenarios are not predictions of the future

Despite polarization, businesses are still seen as a having a responsibility to address societal problems

CCO as the PACE-setter

Ipsos Resources: Ipsos Reputation Council, Ipsos RISE, POV | Navigating Social Issues: when and how to speak out, Ipsos public polling, Ipsos | Latest work

Final Slide

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