Polling the American People

We Asked the American People What They Want From Corporate America – Here’s What They Said

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.

November 15, 2024 | JUST Capital

2024 Americans’ Views on Business Survey

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?

December 15, 2023 | JUST Capital

ANNUAL SURVEY: In a Year of Strikes, Worker Issues Like Wages and Mobility Top the American Public’s Priorities for Companies

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.

November 13, 2023 | JUST Capital

JUST Capital’s 2023 Americans’ Views on Business Survey: Americans Want More Action From Corporate America as Talk Dwindles Following ESG and ‘Woke Business’ Backlash

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.

March 5, 2023 | JUST Capital

Here’s What the Public Thinks of Recent Tech Layoffs – and What They Believe Corporate Leaders Should Consider When Cutting Jobs

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.

Feb 6, 2023 | JUST Capital

5 Key Insights from the American Public to Help Companies and Investors Lead Through Increasing Attacks on ESG and ‘Woke’ Companies

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.

November 6, 2022 | JUST Capital

JUST Capital’s 2022 Americans’ Views on Business Survey: Americans Want Less Talk, More Action

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

September 15, 2022 | JUST Capital

ANNUAL SURVEY: In an Unstable Economic Environment, Workers and Wages Are More Important Than Ever to the American Public

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.

August 31, 2022 | JUST Capital

Across Political Divides, Americans Agree: Companies Should Prioritize Workers’ Economic Security, Driving Competitive Advantage

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

August 15, 2022 | JUST Capital

On the 3rd Anniversary of the Business Roundtable’s Redefined Corporate Purpose, Corporations Aren’t Living Up to Americans Expectations

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

May 30, 2022 | JUST Capital

Americans Agree That Advancing Racial Equity Starts With Paying a Fair Wage

In 2022, nine in 10 respondents – with strong majorities across demographic groups – say it’s important for companies to promote racial equity in the workplace.

May 9, 2022 | JUST Capital

Americans Say CEO Pay Is Too High: Companies Should Reduce Income Inequality by Raising Minimum Wage to Living Wage and Capping CEO Compensation

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.

April 12, 2022 | JUST Capital

SURVEY ANALYSIS: Job Numbers Continue to Lag for Women. Here's What Americans Say Companies Should Be Doing to Bring Them Back to Work

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.

March 29, 2022 | JUST Capital

SURVEY REPORT: Facing Post-Pandemic Child Care Challenges, Americans Agree There Are Many Ways Companies Can Help

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

February 15, 2022 | JUST Capital

SURVEY REPORT: Americans Want to See Greater Transparency on ESG Issues and View Federal Requirements as a Key Lever for Increasing Disclosure

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

February 15, 2022 | JUST Capital

SURVEY ANALYSIS: Americans Want to See Greater Transparency on ESG Issues and View Federal Requirements as a Key Lever for Increasing Disclosure

New survey research from JUST Capital and polling partner, SSRS, in collaboration with Public Citizen and Ceres, exploring America's views on corporate disclosure.

January 19, 2022 | JUST Capital

In 2021, Americans Told Us They Expect Companies to Lead on These 7 Imperatives. 2022 Is the Time to Act.

Throughout 2021, we turned to Americans to learn what they think companies should do to address the most pressing challenges of our time and move toward a recovery that serves all their stakeholders. Here's what they said.

December 9, 2021 | JUST Capital

SURVEY ANALYSIS: In Great Resignation, Americans Are United in Wanting Action on Wages and Jobs, and Accountability from Corporate America

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.

November 10, 2021 | JUST Capital

SURVEY ANALYSIS: Americans Agree CEOs Have a Role to Play in Addressing Income Inequality, Believe Workers Are Being Left Behind

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.

November 10, 2021 | JUST Capital

SURVEY ANALYSIS: Corporations Have a Role to Play in Helping to Hire, Retain, and Support Veteran Employees

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.

November 2, 2021 | JUST Capital

SURVEY ANALYSIS: Companies Are Committing to DEI Initiatives, but More Work Is Needed to Increase Accountability and Action

We surveyed American workers and employers to determine how effectively diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts are going after more than a year of bold commitments.

September 21, 2021 | JUST Capital

SURVEY ANALYSIS: Corporations Have a Role to Play in Addressing Climate Change

74% of respondents say companies can help address global climate change by committing to environmental goals like reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

September 9, 2021 | JUST Capital

Here’s What Companies Should Do to Help Their Employees Balance Caregiving with Working

What Americans think about the state of child care in the U.S., and their expectations of how companies can help parents balance caregiving responsibilities with working.

September 27, 2021 | JUST Capital

SURVEY REPORT: Two Years After the Business Roundtable’s Redefined Purpose of a Corporation, Do Americans Believe Companies Are Living Up to Their Promises?

JUST Capital checked in with Americans on how well they think companies are living up to the BRT's principles. Explore our detailed findings here.

August 17, 2021 | JUST Capital

SURVEY ANALYSIS: Two Years After the Business Roundtable’s Redefined Purpose of a Corporation, Do Americans Believe Companies Are Living Up to Their Promises?

Since the Business Roundtable redefined the Purpose of a Corporation two years ago, how do Americans think companies are measuring up to this new stakeholder-focused purpose?

August 12, 2021 | JUST Capital

Vaccines at Work: Americans Increasingly Support Employer Vaccination Mandates

With the rising risk of the Delta variant, Americans are increasingly in favor of employer mandates for the COVID-19 vaccine.

July 15, 2021 | JUST Capital

SURVEY: To Attract Workers, Americans Say Companies Should Boost Wages and Benefits Over the Long Term

In a tight labor market, particularly for industries with more lower-wage workers, Americans say companies should respond by raising wages and offering benefits – and making these changes permanent.

June 24, 2021 | JUST Capital

Vaccines at Work: Where Americans Fall on Employer Policies

As companies call workers back to offices, here’s how Americans view employer vaccine policies and other workplace safety measures.

May 19, 2021 | JUST Capital

Key Findings from JUST Capital's 2021 Focus Groups

In February 2021, JUST Capital and The Harris Poll conducted eight virtual focus groups – exploring how Americans believe companies should treat their workers, customers, shareholders, communities, and the environment.

May 18, 2021 | JUST Capital

Americans Believe CEOs Have a Role to Play in Influencing Lawmakers Regarding Social and Economic Issues

Do CEOs have a role to play in influencing lawmakers on issues from corporate tax policy to racial equality to voting rights?

April 1, 2021 | JUST Capital

95% of Black Americans Agree That It’s Important for Companies to Promote Racial Equity. 80% Believe They Can Do More.

What concrete actions should corporate leaders prioritize to ensure a movement toward greater racial equity in the workplace and beyond?

March 10, 2021 | JUST Capital

The State of Health and Safety: One Year Later, Increased Workplace Health and Safety Measures Are Still Needed

Explore the perspectives of both employers and employees on how COVID-19 is continuing to shape the workplace one year into the pandemic.

January 28, 2021 | JUST Capital

Our Top Survey Insights on the State of Stakeholder Capitalism from 2020

A snapshot of the public’s views during this unprecedented year, as well as a blueprint for corporate action in the year to come.

January 14, 2021 | JUST Capital

Survey: Here’s What Americans Expect From Corporate America in the Wake of the Capitol Riot

Despite some expected partisan splits, Republicans and Democrats alike look to CEOs for leadership and want corporate political spending reined in.

January 14, 2021 | JUST Capital

Survey: Americans Want to See Business and Government Work Together

The majority of Americans believe that business and government should join forces to address racial inequality, business/jobs recovery, climate crisis, economic inequality, and the public health crises.

December 3, 2020 | JUST Capital

Nearly 80% of Americans Expect Corporate Leaders to Continue to Speak Out on Social Issues Over the Next Four Years

Will business leaders continue to take a stand on the critical social issues of our time?

October 29, 2020 | JUST Capital

As Election Day Nears, Americans Continue to Say Corporate Leaders Have a Role to Play in Protecting Our Democratic Process

With Election Day less than a week away, and concerns of a contested election mounting, we expanded our recent polling asking Americans what role they think companies and corporate leaders should play in upholding and protecting democracy.

October 1, 2020 | JUST Capital

Amidst Crisis, What Americans Want from Corporate America: JUST Capital’s 2020 Survey Results

As we rebuild toward a more just and equitable future, it has never been more urgent or more important for corporate America to listen and respond to what the American public prioritizes.

September 28, 2020 | JUST Capital

As the 2020 Election Approaches, Americans Say Companies Have a Role to Play in Upholding and Protecting Democracy

With the 2020 presidential election fast approaching, this week we take a look at whether – and to what extent – the public expects companies to uphold democracy. Do companies have a role to play? To what degree? How can they best serve the public?

August 18, 2020 | JUST Capital

A Year After the Business Roundtable Redefined the Purpose of a Corporation, Americans See Progress But Opportunity for Treating Workers Better

Timed with the one-year anniversary of the Business Roundtable’s landmark redefinition of corporate purpose, we asked the public how they believe companies are doing in shifting from a myopic focus on shareholders to better serving the needs of all stakeholders.

July 16, 2020 | JUST Capital

The Priorities of the Public Are Growing More Important as Our Economy Reopens. Are Companies Following Through?

How do Americans want corporations to handle re-opening the economy? We asked them.

July 9, 2020 | JUST Capital

The American Public Wants Companies to Take Action on Advancing Racial Equity – Especially Black Americans

We’re now turning to the American public to ask them what they’d like to see from corporate America during this time – and particularly, how Black Americans want companies to act.

June 25, 2020 | JUST Capital

The Great Reset

89% of Americans agree that the crisis is providing an opportunity for corporations to hit reset and focus on doing right by their workers, customers, and communities. So where should you focus?

June 15, 2020 | JUST Capital

SURVEY: What Americans Want from Corporate America During the Response, Reopening, and Reset Phases of the Coronavirus Crisis

In May, we partnered with The Harris Poll to conduct this survey – which asked 1,000 U.S. adults how business should evolve for a better tomorrow. Here are the results:

June 4, 2020 | JUST Capital

The Week in COVID Polling: A Roundup of the Latest Insights from Public Opinion Research

A compendium of our week weekly COVID-19 polling from March - June 2020.

March 30, 2020 | JUST Capital

Surveying the American Public on Corporate America’s Response to COVID-19

In collaboration with The Harris Poll – our strategic survey research partner – we have been going out to members of the American public on a regular basis, starting with an initial survey on March 24, to identify their views of just business during the coronavirus crisis, as well as their priorities for corporate action.

Survey Reports

A chronological listing of all our survey reports from previous years.

Our Methodology

A deeper dive into the methodology and rigor behind our polling.