Business in Society Report 2024

In this third annual Bentley-Gallup survey, we asked Americans their opinions about where businesses are succeeding in bringing about positive change — and where they are falling short. Here is one of the key findings.

76% of Americans believe businesses influence presidential elections but only 17% want to hear which candidates they support

Do you think businesses should take a stance on political candidates?

"Most Americans continue to see corporations and the super-wealthy as significantly influencing presidential elections. They’re convinced that money buys elections -- and they’ve never been happy about it. Americans know it’s impossible to take money out of politics, but they’d prefer that companies stay in their lane and stick to business."

Jeff Gulati
Senior Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Political Science
Bentley University

"Americans are comfortable expressing their politics through the businesses they choose but not the other way around. They don’t want businesses choosing political candidates for them."

Maricruz Osorio
Assistant Professor of Global Studies
Bentley University

Should Businesses Speak Out?

A new paper based on the Bentley-Gallup survey findings reveals that only 38% of U.S. adults say businesses should take public stances, a drop of 10 percentage points since 2022.

Read the Paper

Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report 2023

View the Results

Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report 2022

View the Results