According to a recent survey conducted by the Convention of States Action and Trafalgar Group, most respondents believe businesses should adopt a “neutral” stance on cultural issues, particularly considering the recent controversies involving Bud Light and Target during “pride month.”
The survey questioned participants on whether businesses should continue promoting political themes during pride month or strive to be neutral on cultural matters.
Of the respondents, 61.9 percent agreed that businesses should maintain neutrality, while 23.9 percent believed businesses should still promote political themes.
Another 14.1 percent expressed no preference.
Breaking down the results further, most Republicans (81.8 percent) and independents (66.2 percent) agreed that businesses should remain neutral and avoid pushing political agendas.
However, among Democrats, 46.8 percent felt that businesses should continue to promote political themes, compared to 37.1 percent who supported a neutral stance.
The survey also found that a plurality of 40.8 percent of respondents have decided to boycott a company due to public woke or progressive positions.
In contrast, 34.7 percent said they do not participate in boycotts, and 24.5 percent reported boycotting a company for taking “conservative or MAGA public stances.”
Notably, 40.7 percent of independents have boycotted a business for adopting progressive or woke positions.
The survey was conducted from June 5 to 9, 2023, with 1,088 likely general election voters participating, resulting in a margin of error of +/- 2.9 percent.
This survey followed the backlash faced by Bud Light following a transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney, a man, publicized that the company had sent him a can with his face on it to commemorate his one year of identifying as a woman.
The negative response was swift and severe, leading to a 29.5 percent decline in Bud Light sales for the week ending May 20. Modelo Especial emerged as the top-selling beer in the United States last month.
Target also faced criticism for its pride month collection, which included transgender swimsuits for adults and children’s apparel.
Despite the prevailing public sentiment, certain companies have not heeded the lessons learned from recent events.
Coors Light, for example, decided to participate in the Denver Pride Parade during Denver’s PrideFest over the weekend.
The event boasted prominent sponsors, including Sheraton, Nissan, COBank, Visa, Chevron, Safeway, Credit Union of Colorado, JP Morgan Chase, REI, Amazon, Verizon, Colorado Public Radio, AARP, Xfinity, and United Airlines.
This event, which was open to children and featured a designated Walmart family area and a Rainbow Alley Youth Area, also promoted drag queens Marcia Marcia Marcia and Salina EsTitties as well as Big Freedia (born Freddie Ross) as headliners on the center stage.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that Starbucks corporate executives are scaling back their involvement in “green and social initiatives” following the backlash experienced during pride month.
