January 20, 2005 | Read Time: 2 minutes
A majority of Americans expect corporations to help solve social problems through charitable donations and other efforts, according to a new poll.
The report says 77 percent of Americans believe that “companies have a responsibility to help support causes.”
An even larger percentage — 92 percent — say businesses should be more “socially responsible” in light of scandals at Enron and other corporations.
The report by Cone, a Boston company that matches social causes to corporate sponsors, is based on a survey of 1,033 adults nationwide.
Many of those polled said that a corporation’s philanthropy and other good-citizenship efforts influence their consumer decisions. According to the report, 43 percent said that in the previous 12 months they had purchased a product from a corporation after hearing about its commitment to a social cause.
What’s more, a majority of those surveyed — 90 percent — said that they would consider no longer purchasing services or goods from a company that had a negative citizenship track record.
The concern among Americans about business practices can be a boon for nonprofit groups, says Carol L. Cone, Cone’s chief executive. “This is great news for charities, because more and more companies are striving to have long-term relationships with them,” she said.
But Ms. Cone also warned organizations about making quick deals with a corporation. She said they should make sure a company’s commitment to a social cause comes from its top managers, and not its public-relations office. Otherwise, the company’s interest may wane after a year or so.
Among the Cone study’s other findings:
- Eighty-seven percent of those surveyed said a company can earn their trust by donating to charity. However, a larger percentage — 98 percent — said the quality of a corporation’s services and products determined their opinion of that business.
- Most Americans want to learn about corporate-citizenship efforts from sources other than the companies themselves. While families and friends topped the list of most-credible sources for such information, 29 percent said they look to religious organizations, 26 percent to charities, and 15 percent to “activist groups.”
- Eighty percent said they could name a company they associated with good corporate practices. When asked to specify a business, they named Wal-Mart Stores, in Bentonville, Ark., most frequently.
A summary of the report, “2004 Cone Corporate Citizenship Study,” may be obtained free by contacting Cone’s Alison DaSilva at (617) 939-8360; adasilva@coneinc.com.
The full report will be available in coming weeks on the company’s Web site, http://coneinc.com.
