Polling

During a time of political division, the public is aligned that workers and wages should continue to be companies’ top priority. Additionally, addressing consumer issues is increasingly important to all Americans.

Each year, we ask the American public to identify and prioritize what issues matter most when it comes to just business behavior. This year, we began by asking participants a simple question: What do you think the chief responsibility of America’s largest companies is?

Workers and wages remain the American public’s top priority for companies, with a bump in importance for workforce advancement amid AI and job security fears.

What makes a good job? It’s a question that’s driving many conversations today – from picket lines with auto employees and Starbucks baristas to C-suites and boardrooms across the country.

Americans don’t think companies are making progress on their commitments to their stakeholders. And, beyond that, they want to see action from America’s largest companies on what matters most – workers.

JUST Capital polled Americans to learn their views on recent waves of layoffs – including how they impact workers, long-term profits, and the economy overall.

From a markets perspective, ESG is about understanding and capturing emerging risks and opportunities. It’s not a dogma, or a monolith. And it isn’t – or shouldn’t be – about politics

Our latest survey research – in collaboration with Omidyar Network and The Ford Foundation – asks Americans if and how companies should align with the core principles of stakeholder capitalism.

Despite an uptick in positive impressions of just business behavior during the pandemic, Americans are now less likely to think companies are following through.

Across every demographic group we surveyed, whether political affiliation, race, gender, age, or income group, Americans are united in wanting companies to prioritize workers and pay a fair, living wage.

Despite rhetoric that the country is incredibly polarized, there is broad consensus across all demographic and political cohorts that workers should be corporate America’s top priority.

Republicans, Independents, and Democrats alike agree that it’s a company’s responsibility to pay its frontline workers enough to make ends meet.

Americans are hesitant to agree that the nation’s largest companies are truly moving away from the shareholder-centric model.

Our new polling research finds large majorities of Americans believe companies should be taking care of their workforces during high inflation.

In 2022, nine in ten respondents – with strong majorities across demographic groups – say it’s important for companies to promote racial equity in the workplace.

We surveyed Americans to learn what they think about CEO pay today, and what companies should do to narrow the CEO-to-Worker pay gap.

COVID-19 not only took women out of the workforce, it brought to light long-standing inequities for women at work. Americans agree companies can do more.

We turned to the American public to learn their perspectives on how companies can help parents balance caregiving responsibilities with working.

Americans want to see large companies publicly disclose human capital and environmental impact metrics and endorse federal action to require standardized disclosure.

2021 was a monumental year for JUST, with both our organization, and our broader mission hitting prime time.

The American public’s trust in corporate America appears to be waning – but they are agreed on the issues that matter. As markets hit record highs, companies have a golden opportunity to step up.

The headline that we shared on CNBC’s Power Lunch yesterday is that Americans are united in wanting good jobs and accountability from the country’s largest companies. “Pays a fair, living wage” was (once again) the public’s top priority.

Highlighting the key Issues that rose to prominence in our 2021 survey of the American public, to provide corporate leaders with clear direction for where they should focus their efforts to make their companies more just and stave off emerging challenges from The Great Resignation.

In this year’s Survey of Americans’ Views on Business, we’ve turned to the public once again to ask them how they think corporate America is doing today – and provide a lookback on our findings over the years to see how views have shifted.

A new survey from JUST Capital & The Harris Poll of active duty military and veterans, their family members, and the wider public. 87% of respondents say companies have a role to play in actively recruiting veterans to their workforces.