Two grocery chains — Trader Joe’s and HEB Grocery — take the honors as America’s most reputable companies in the 2022 Axios Harris Poll 100.
On the other hand, many other companies are seeing their reputations plunge as they become embroiled in hot-button political issues, the poll finds.
The joint effort between Harris Poll and Axios is intended to gauge the reputation “of the most visible brands in America.” More than 33,000 Americans were polled on their awareness of companies “that either excel or falter in society,” and the top 100 “most visible companies” were then ranked across key dimensions of reputation.
The resulting list of most reputable companies in America in 2022 are:
- Trader Joe’s
- HEB Grocery
- Patagonia
- The Hershey Co.
- Wegmans
- Samsung
- Toyota Motor Corp.
- Amazon
- Honda Motor Co.
- Sony
Axios notes that some companies that have stumbled in the wake of controversial political issues appeared to have suffered as a result. Companies that have seen their status drop in 2022 include:
- Disney. The corporation took a public stand against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Bill that bans school instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through third grade. Some consumers were angry with Disney for coming out against the measure, while others were upset that it took so long for the company to take a stand. The apparent result is that the company dropped from 37th place last year to 65th this year.
- McDonald’s. The fast-food chain announced in mid-May — three months after Russia invaded Ukraine — that it would pull its restaurants out of Russia. The delay may have cost McDonald’s, which is down 13 places in the rankings.
According to Axios:
“The findings suggest that companies that are slow to respond to political crises, or do it inconsistently, suffer the most in terms of consumer reception and trust.”
The two companies that experienced the biggest declines in this year’s survey are telecommunications and mass media company Spectrum (down 71 places) and drugmaker and COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer Pfizer (down 37 places).
To learn more about the No. 1 company in 2021, which came in at No. 3 this year, check out “Shoppers Admire This Retailer Even More Than Costco.”
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