CEO activism can drive corporate reputation

There is now an expectation for CEOs to take public stances on controversial topics.

According to a report from Weber Shandwick, 40% of adults believe that it is a CEO’s duty to engage with public issues.

The survey gauged the US population’s awareness of CEOs speaking out on important societal issues, their attitudes toward CEOs who speak out, and their willingness to buy from and work for companies with CEOs who take activist stands.

US citizens are more likely to hold a favourable opinion of CEO activists (31%) than a less favourable view (22%). However, CEOs should choose the issues with caution, as more than three in 10 US adults (32%) hold a less favourable view of CEOs who speak out on issues not clearly tied to their company’s core business.

These results are taken from a Weber Shandwick and KRC Research online survey of 1,027 U.S. adults, 18 years of age and older.

You can download the full Dawn of CEO Activism report from the Weber Shandwick website.

Image: iStock

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