WASHINGTON, D.C. -- For the third straight year, a new Bentley University-Gallup study shows a majority of Americans believe that businesses have a positive impact on people’s lives.
Sixty-three percent of Americans today view businesses as having a somewhat or extremely positive impact. This is unchanged from 2023 but represents an improvement over 2022, when 55% of Americans reported the same.
These findings, from the latest Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report, are based on a web survey with 5,835 U.S. adults conducted from April 29-May 6, 2024, using the probability-based Gallup Panel.
Republicans More Likely to See Businesses as Beneficial for People’s Lives
Americans’ views on how businesses impact people’s lives differ among partisan groups, with Republicans (73%) more likely than Democrats (60%) or independents (59%) to believe businesses have a somewhat or extremely positive effect on people’s lives.
The positive views among Republicans and Democrats remain higher than what they were two years ago, while independents’ views today are more in line with what they were in 2022.
Few See Businesses as Positive for the Planet
While the majority of Americans feel businesses have a positive effect on individuals’ lives, they are less positive about businesses’ impact on the environment. In fact, twice as many Americans believe that businesses have a negative (48%) rather than positive (24%) impact. Americans have been more negative than positive for the past three years.
Younger Americans More Critical of Business Impact on the Environment
Negative views about the effect businesses have on the environment are highest among the youngest Americans and then gradually decrease with age: 60% of 18- to 29-year-olds believe that businesses have a somewhat or extremely negative impact on the environment, compared with 41% of Americans aged 60 and older who believe the same.
Bottom Line
For the third year running, a majority of Americans view businesses positively in terms of the personal impact they have. However, twice as many people believe businesses negatively rather than positively impact the environment.
Younger Americans are particularly critical of business practices related to the environment, while older Americans are less likely to believe that businesses are negatively impacting the environment. The generational divide reveals that younger people might push for increased sustainability in the future. Companies have an opportunity to enhance their reputation and success by aligning their strategies with the values of younger consumers.
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Read the latest Bentley University-Gallup report.
