General public wants tech CEOs to speak out on
workplace and economic issues, but say the industry should stay
clear of political and social issues
Americans think AI will have a negative impact
on jobs, but few expect to be impacted directly
NEW
YORK, Jan. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As the
United States enters a new administration next week,
Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW) and HarrisX released a new
nationwide poll showing the tech sector is entering 2025 with one
of the strongest reputations across industries. The study, released
during the annual CES conference, and made available online today,
reveals four in five (81%) Americans view the industry favorably,
placing tech on par with the manufacturing sector (80%) and far
ahead of many other industries, including healthcare (65%), oil and
gas (60%), pharmaceutical (52%) and news media (51%).
Nearly four in five (79%) U.S. adults say tech has a positive
economic impact and 57% expect the industry to be a major economic
driver over the next five years. For comparison, approximately just
one in three Americans think the real estate (35%) and auto (32%)
industries will play a major role in the U.S. economy.
However, while a majority of Americans (55%) want the leaders of
technology companies to speak up on issues affecting industry and
society, sixty percent say these leaders mostly get it wrong when
they speak up. Respondents indicated that they want tech leaders to
focus more on workplace and governance issues and less on divisive
social and political themes.
Workplace and economic issues appear to be the safest topics for
tech leaders to take a stance on. While a strong majority say tech
CEOs should speak up on issues such as paid family leave (68%),
minimum wage (66%) or the environment (65%), significantly fewer
believe they should take a public stance on social and political
issues such as transgender rights (38%), abortion (39%) or
elections (41%).
"For three decades the technology sector has defined the 'new
economy' and modern opportunities, in the process building a very
strong reputation," said Dritan Nesho, CEO of technology research
firm HarrisX. "As it now embarks to once again reshape the global
labor and economic landscape via A.I., Web3, and other novelties,
the way tech CEOs navigate and address the impact of their
innovations, and the regulations that will surely follow, will
determine how the industry is perceived and treated for decades to
come."
The heads of Stagwell's Risk and Reputation practice added their
analysis on the data during a roundtable at CES.
Zac Moffatt, the CEO of Targeted
Victory and the Republican co-Chair noted that "the landscape of
public discourse has shifted with the 2024 presidential election,
and companies need to quickly rewrite the playbook of how to engage
with both the public and government over the next several
years."
Nevertheless, public sensitivities on several key themes such as
the environment, human rights, income inequality, and DE&I
remain strong, added Doug Thornell,
CEO of SKDK, and the Democratic co-Chair, "The risk of dismissing
these themes is high. The years ahead require both balance and
courage."
The Stagwell/HarrisX poll, which was conducted online
January 3-6, 2024 with 1,498
registered voters, also shows that 67% of voters want tech
companies to work with the incoming Trump administration. Nearly as
many (58%) also believe the Trump presidency will provide a boost
for the technology industry. Just 27% think tech companies will be
worse off under President-elect Donald
Trump.
The study also shows that as the tech industry and financial
investors are doubling down on AI, Americans are less certain about
its economic impact. While 60% think AI will replace more jobs than
create new ones, just 30% of Americans believe AI will decrease
their personal earnings in the future.
The public uncertainty towards AI is also reflected by the fact
that voters are evenly divided on the approach they think the U.S.
government should take in regulating the new technology.
Fifty-three percent say the government should first monitor the
development and implementation of AI versus 47% who say it's better
to start regulating AI right away.
In the post-election landscape, Stagwell and HarrisX are
committed to helping businesses navigate the political crosshairs.
For more information on how Stagwell's Risk and Reputation Unit can
help navigate the political minefield, visit
https://www.stagwellglobal.com/risk-reputation-unit/.
Survey Methodology
The survey was conducted online
within the United States
January 3-6, 2025 among 1,498
registered voters in the United
States by HarrisX. The sampling margin of error of this poll
is +/-2.5 percentage points. The results reflect a nationally
representative sample of registered voters. The survey sample was
weighted for age, gender, region, race/ethnicity, income, and
region where necessary to align it with the actual proportions in
the population.
About HarrisX
HarrisX is a leading public opinion
research, data analytics, and strategy consulting company with
offices in the United States,
United Kingdom, Canada and Singapore. HarrisX conducts multi-method
research in over 50 countries around the world on behalf of Fortune
100 companies and philanthropic organizations, public policy
institutions, global leaders, media and NGOs. HarrisX is a proud
member of Stagwell Global (STGW). Learn more
at www.harrisx.com.
About Stagwell
Stagwell is the challenger holding
company built to transform marketing. We deliver scaled creative
performance for the world's most ambitious brands, connecting
culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology to harmonize
the art and science of marketing. Led by entrepreneurs, our
specialists in 35+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to
drive effectiveness and improve business results for our clients.
Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com.
Contact:
Dritan Nesho
Dritan@HarrisX.com
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SOURCE Stagwell Inc.