Most Americans say they support the LGBTQIA+ community
SAN FRANCISCO — June 5, 2023 — Bospar, the “politely pushy” PR and marketing firm that puts tech companies on the map, announced the U.S. results of its Corporate Courage index, a worldwide ranking of consumer perception of brands’ support of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Bospar teamed up with Propeller Insights to survey over 5,000 adults in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France and Germany. Bospar will release the full survey findings at Club Courage, the tech agency’s after-party on June 21 at Cannes Lions to celebrate brands’ support of the LGBTQIA+ community during Pride.
- Target ranked first in the U.S., followed by Disney, Nike, Anheurser-Busch and Apple.
- The bottom five included: The Body Shop, Lego, Miller Coors, Coach and in last place, Chick-fil-A.
- Amongst the LGBTQIA+ community, Target also ranked first, followed by Apple, Disney, Nike and Levi’s.
- The bottom five included: Kohl’s, Reebok, Coach, Miller Coors and in last place, Chick-fil-A.
Bospar does not represent any brands considered.
“I was surprised by the results,” said Curtis Sparrer, a principal of Bospar. “Americans ranked Target as the best company for supporting the LGBTQIA+ community, while at the same time, the media reported that the retailer bowed to conservative pressure, removing products from its Pride Collection. For PR nerds like me, this proves your overall track record is better than a single moment. Target has been supporting Pride for a decade, and that commitment has been part of the national consciousness. The long-term challenge for Target boils down to which side they pick.”
While the results showed a majority of Americans (68.7%) identify as members of “the right” as opposed to “the left,” a majority (56.6%) said they supported the LGBQTIA+ community. Most (51.8%) believe brands should have specific marketing campaigns celebrating LGBTQIA+ people, ethnic minorities and women. When making a purchase decision, 59% said they would buy more from brands that supported these communities. Most Americans (58.1%) believe the right is most successful at getting brands to bend to their point of view. Slightly over a third (34.6%) said they would penalize a brand for backtracking its support of the LGBTQIA+ community by buying from a competitor that had not backtracked from its support.
Bospar plans to announce the Canadian, United Kingdom, France, and Germany findings over the next two weeks, culminating at its Club Courage after-party once the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity awards its Lions for PR.
“Target has been a leader among companies in recognizing and promoting Pride – inspiring unity between communities, celebrating differences and reminding us all of the value we share,” said Jorge Ayala, principal of Propeller Insights. ”Recent events might tarnish its reputation slightly, but it’s great to see corporate leaders, along with Disney and Nike, supporting the LGBTQIA+ community. Companies with high visibility and mainstream reach can make a positive impact if they stand firm in the face of opposition.”
Methodology
A national online survey of 1,007 U.S. media consumers and media workers (302), ages 18 and older, was conducted by Propeller Insights on behalf of Bospar from June 1 to June 4. Survey responses were nationally representative of the U.S. population for age, gender, region, and ethnicity. The maximum margin of sampling error was +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% confidence level.
About Propeller Insights
Propeller Insights is a full-service market research firm based in Los Angeles. Using quantitative and qualitative methodologies to measure and analyze marketplace and consumer opinions, Propeller Insights works extensively across industries such as travel, brand intelligence, entertainment/media, retail, and consumer packaged goods.
