Americans Are Voting With Their Wallets Ahead of the Midterms
Summary
A survey of 1,115 U.S. adults who shop at least every few weeks found that many have changed their purchases because of companies’ political positions. Researchers and marketing experts said the findings show reported behavior and intentions, but do not establish that politics outweighs factors such as price and quality.Key Facts
- The online survey was conducted October 7 by SmartCustomer and Goods Unite Us.
- Fifty-one percent of respondents said they stopped buying from a company because of its political stance in the past year.
- Forty-seven percent said they bought from a company specifically to support its political position; 83 percent of this group also reported boycotting a company.
- Thirty-nine percent said they intended to align their spending more closely with their political beliefs.
- Sixty-four percent of Democratic-leaning respondents reported a political boycott, compared with 47 percent of Republican-leaning respondents and 32 percent of respondents who leaned toward neither party.
- Sixty percent of respondents in households earning at least $100,000 reported a boycott, compared with 35 percent in households earning under $50,000.
- A 2024 survey found that 30 percent reported boycotting a brand over politics, but its respondents had to be at least 21; the 2026 survey included adults 18 and older.
- Marketing professor Timothy Calkins cautioned that reported intentions do not prove politics outweighs product quality and price in actual purchases.
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