Should CEOs Comment on Politically Contentious Topics?
Ronnie Chatterji is a professor of Business and Public Policy at Duke University. He can be reached at reports@wsj.com. Recently, CEOs have increasingly weighed in on social and political issues, from Black Lives Matter and voting access, to stances on Florida’s Parental Rights in Education (known as the “Don’t say gay" bill), to abortion restrictions in various states.
The reasons executives have for becoming more vocal are clear, but they don’t justify the negative effects such public stances can have on their companies and on society. One reason executives are speaking out more is that businesses have become our most trusted institutions in a world where polarization and a lack of trust in government and the media dominate.
Indeed, the Edelman Annual Trust Barometer found that 64% of people think that we can’t even have a civil debate on key issues any longer due to this political polarization. Instead, people are looking to companies to take a stand and place a stake in the ground for common sense to prevail.
Companies also are feeling pressure from their employees to take stands on social and political issues. A recent survey of millennials about their expectations of employers, conducted by Atlassian, found that 61% of millennial workers preferred companies that take a stand on social issues and 49% said they would quit a job that didn’t align with their values.
Furthermore, a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that the most important value to graduating college seniors was diversity and inclusion, with 71.8% stating it as a top priority. On the surface, this sounds very positive: Young people are taking an active role in critical societal and political issues and compelling their
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