Shut Up and Sell Products

Americans want businesses to stay in their lane, new data suggests. (Gallup)

The 2024 Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report: Only 38% of Americans believe businesses should take a public stance on current events, down from 41% in 2023 and 48% in 2022.

• More than 60% of both Democrats (68%) and Republicans (61%) say they would be less likely to support businesses that make political endorsements.

• Around 76% of Americans think businesses have either some (44%) or a lot (32%) of influence on presidential elections, but only 17% want businesses to publicly endorse political candidates.

Bubba’s Two Cents

In 2018, Fox News host Laura Ingraham controversially told Lebron James to “shut up and dribble” when the NBA superstar waded into politics by criticizing former President Trump. Ingraham’s ire may have been misdirected — at the end of the day, it’s James’ right as an American to express his political beliefs. But I bet a lot of people can relate to her frustration at having seemingly every aspect of our lives become a staging ground for divisive political fights. The backlash against a number of grandstanding corporate political initiatives (from both left and right) sends a clear message to U.S. CEOs: “Shut up and sell us stuff.”