Business and Industry
Explore Gallup's research.
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Over half of U.S. adults say it is extremely important for businesses to avoid major pay gaps between CEOs and average employees.
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Americans continue to rank real estate as the best long-term investment, while stocks have gained in attractiveness and gold has waned.
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Over six in 10 U.S. adults say businesses impact lives positively, particularly small businesses. But fewer say businesses positively impact the environment.
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Exploring Americans' perceptions of business and its impact on society
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Americans' opinions of the retail and pharmaceutical industries have suffered the most over the past year, with Democrats increasingly negative about retail and Republicans about the pharmaceutical industry.
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Ratings of the economy remain negative but have improved, with Gallup's Economic Confidence Index increasing from -43 to -32 in the past month.
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Americans say U.S. families of four need $85,000 per year to survive, up from their $58,000 estimate in 2013. Higher earners and Eastern residents estimate higher income thresholds.
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U.S. stock ownership has reached 61%, a level last seen during the Great Recession.
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ESG has yet to capture much of the American public's attention or divide partisans as sharply as other issues.
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Americans' opinions of federal income taxes are the worst they have been in about two decades.
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Americans' attitudes about their finances are just as subdued today as they were a year ago, when inflation was near its 40-year peak.
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Americans' perceptions of the U.S. housing market are the worst Gallup has ever recorded, with 21% saying it is a good time to buy a house.
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Americans pick real estate over stocks and gold as the best investment, but by a smaller margin than last year. Gold has overtaken stocks for second place.
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Americans' average positive rating of 25 business and industry sectors has fallen to its lowest point since 2008 during the Great Recession.
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Whether Americans like big business or not depends on the question. More express at least some confidence in big business than say they have a positive view of it.
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Americans' highly varied views of U.S. business and industry sectors give rise to several interesting questions.
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Four industries in Gallup's annual rating of 25 business sectors are at new lows of popularity with Americans this year, and all four are in the information business.
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Of 25 key U.S. business sectors, Americans' views of nine have worsened significantly, largely because of Republicans' decreased positivity.
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Republicans have lost significant confidence in big business and large technology companies over the past year. Democrats' confidence in big business, while still negative, has improved.