Gay Marriage Issue Shows the Greatest Power to Persuade Consumers According to a Special Report by Field Agent

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark., July 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the recent Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage, numerous Fortune 500 companies took public stances in support of this decision. More broadly, companies are showing greater willingness today to take sides on hot button social and political issues. But what are the implications, good and bad, of taking stances on such topics?

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Field Agent today released a Special Report highlighting Americans' opinions about companies' social and political positions. The mobile market research company in July surveyed 1,000 consumers to determine how a company's advocacy of or opposition to certain issues affects customers—their attitudes, their brand loyalties, and their spending. Get the full report entitled, Taking Sides: How Companies' Public Stands on Controversial Political, Social Issues Affect Consumer Attitudes and Spending, here.

The report revealed that 45 percent of consumers stopped buying from a company out of disagreement with a controversial stand. As one 30-year-old man from Buffalo said, "I think companies should take actions to make the world better. I appreciate those companies that support the right things, even though that means sacrificing their profits."

Gay marriage evoked the strongest start-stop reactions among five different 'hot button' issues, including open religious affiliation, gun control, abortion and climate change. 36 percent of respondents indicated they had either started or stopped buying from a company as a direct result of its position on gay marriage.

Field Agent also segmented responses by political affiliation and generation. The report revealed, for instance, that Liberals are more willing to pay a premium for 'likeminded' products than Conservatives or Moderates. A 31-year-old Moderate from Platteville, Wisconsin said, "If there is a topic that impacts me or my loved ones, I would be more willing to pay money for a company that shares my values."

SURVEY METHODOLOGY: How Field Agent Gathered 1,000 Responses in Less Than Two Hours

"We are striving to stay on top of research topics our clients care about," said Rick West, CEO of Field Agent, "particularly when they focus on their customers' habits and opinions. We surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults on July 10, 2015 using our crowdsourcing mobile app and network of more than half a million agents, receiving the results in less than two hours."

Respondents were 50 percent male and 50 percent female. Field Agent chose to segment respondents by political affiliation and generation, to provide a more representative view of the United States. 38 percent of the sample self-identified as Moderate, 36 percent Conservative and 26 percent Liberal. 42 percent were Generation X, 40 percent Generation Y (Millennial) and 18 percent Baby Boomers.

About Field Agent: Headquartered in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Field Agent has changed the way the world collects business information and insights. The mobile market research company uses crowdsourcing data via smart devices from everyday consumers. Follow Field Agent on LinkedIn and Twitter. For more information on consumer surveys and mobile research please visit our blog.

Shauna Vo Pulayya
Field Agent^®
(479) 755-4499
[email protected]

SOURCE Field Agent