The Corporate Social Mind
Year after year, consumers expect companies to take an active role in creating social change―yet, the risk of stumbling is high. ISG research gives companies doing business in the United States and Germany insights into the corporate actions that inspire consumer loyalty, reveal who is influencing their support of social issues and how, and show which social issues are most important and how they change over time.
This research is best consumed in conjunction with the book The Corporate Social Mind: How Companies Lead Social Change From the Inside Out by Derrick Feldmann and Michael Seberich.
2022 research
One of the ultimate tests of social consciousness is a bad economy, and both Germany and the United States faced economic challenges in 2022 with few expectations of immediate recovery. The research team used a quantitative approach with an online survey of 2,000 U.S. and 1,000 German respondents from nationally representative samples based on each country’s Census.
Key takeaway: Food banks/hunger topped the list of issues for which actions were taken at a company’s request in the U.S., while in Germany, the top issue was animals/animal rights.
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2021 research: United States
Two months after the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), researchers for this study uncovered a startling detail: The American public’s approval of companies working with political leaders to change environment/climate change policies had dropped 14% from the previous year, down to less than a quarter of adults. ISG researchers used a quantitative approach with an online survey of 1,000 U.S. respondents from a nationally representative sample.
Key takeaway: 58% of U.S. respondents “very often” or “often” visited a company’s website for information about its support of a social issue.
2021 research: Germany
While a complementary study revealed that few large companies used corporate citizenship to become more sustainable, the ISG research looked at the other side, German consumers' expectations of companies, and found they demanded more social commitment and were prepared to spend more to get it. ISG researchers used a quantitative approach with an online survey of 1,000 respondents from a nationally representative sample.
Key takeaway: In 2021, respondents were less willing to spend more on products/services produced by companies engaged in social issues than in 2020.
2020 research: United States
From the Business Roundtable in Washington, DC, to the World Economic Forum focus at Davos, the dialogue about business intersections with social issues and impact had been escalating for nine months when two historic moments shook the consciousness of companies globally: the COVID-19 pandemic and the demand for police reform. Did companies step up not just with words, but with the actions consumers had long been demanding? ISG researchers used a quantitative approach with an online survey of 1,004 respondents from a nationally representative sample.
Key takeaway: Racial equity and the environment were the top issues consumers believed companies should take a public stance on.
2020 research: Germany
In September, a petition for the “responsible company,” a new legal entity, attracted attention, while larger companies and investors showed growing interest in the ESG reporting framework. This ISG study documented German consumer expectations of the economy as pandemic and climate change threats grew and discussions about social inequality stirred globally. ISG researchers used a quantitative approach with an online survey of 1,024 respondents from a nationally representative sample.
Key takeaway: Animals/animal rights and climate change topped the social issues for which companies should be concerned.