Politics, Polarization and PurposeJanuary 2021

Not credible

Moderately Credible

Credible

20%

13%

67%

Credibility of the U.S. Presidential Election U.S. General Public*

*includes 166 respondents who believed Trump would be inaugurated on 1/20

Election Impact on Polarization

Polarization will stay the same or increase

84% 84% 86%U.S. General Public Journalists PR Professionals

1221

162222

3122

177107

1628

1313

3717

1431

9

4556

5457

5045

3954

5245

4253

4961

4634

4947

3949

4323

3022

2825

3929

4145

5131

2326

4230

3439

3043

Access to affordable healthcareCollege tuition

Consumer confidenceCooperation between Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Congress

CrimeDisinformation or fake newsGrowth of the U.S. economy

Gun ownershipImmigration to the U.S.

LGBTQ+ rightsMinimum wage

Polarization of opinion on social issuesRacism

Religious freedomTaxes

U.S. cases of COVID-19U.S. stock market values

U.S. trade with other countriesUnemploymentWomen's rights

Decrease Stay Same Increase

Impact on U.S.U.S. General Public

1111

1515

1816

131211

829

228

51515

910

1417

9

6564

6769

5765

6170

6166

5448

6671

645768

7163

6059

2426

1815

2519

2718

2826

1730

2623

2129

2219

2423

32

My personal commitment to social changeMy engagement in the political process

My involvement with activist groupsMy participation in public protests

My consumption of news mediaMy engagement on social media

My interest in learning about other ethnic groupsMy empathy toward people who disagree with meMy willingness to listen to different points of view

My patriotism for the U.S.My desire to move to another country

My trust in governmentMy belief in science

My support of brands who share my valuesMy confidence in law enforcementMy faith in the democratic process

My faith in religion My charitable givingMy standard of living

My desire to travel to other countriesMy commitment to wearing a mask in public places

Decrease Stay Same Increase

Impact on BeliefsU.S. General Public

8576

8982

72

59 57

67

49

66

8374

82 82

70

57 54

68

43

67

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Reputation ofthe U.S.

Traderelationshipswith the U.S.

Initiatives toaddressclimatechange

Efforts tocurb thespread ofCOVID-19

Politicalstability

Trust ingovernmentinstitutions

Growth ofactivism

Support forimmigration

Reputation ofU.S.

corporations

Civildiscourse

Professionals Journalists

Positive Impact on Global AffairsPR Professionals

3516

838

1015

2320

148

5058

1445

6242

4034

6251

1527

7817

2943

3746

2442

Consumer consumption of traditional news

Credibility of the news media

Credibility of the White House Communication team

Amount of news dedicated to politics

Consumer engagement on social media

Use of social media for political purposes

Spread of fake news or disinformation

Proliferation of conspiracy theories

Balanced news coverage of societal issues

Regulation of social media platforms

Decrease Stay Same Increase

Impact on MediaJournalists

66

37 3733 32

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Diversity of thecommunications

workforce

Ability to attractglobal talent to the

communicationsindustry

Corporate investmentin PR vs. Advertising

Employmentopportunities in the

communicationsindustry

Growth of the UScommunications

industry

% of PR Professionals Who Expect an Increase

Impact on Communication Industry

Impact on Business

72 7063 60 60 60 59

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Activist demandsplaced onbusiness

Employeeexpectations ofcompany role in

society

Consumerexpectations ofbusiness role in

society

Public focus onCEO's character

Consumerpurchase

decisions basedon company

values

Gov't regulation ofbusiness practices

CEOs taking apublic stand onsocietal issues

% of PR Professionals Who Expect an Increase

Impact on Purpose

60 6055

49

39 39 37 3630 29

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Conductingdiversity and

inclusiontraining

Hiring morediverse staff

Developingpurpose-drivencommunication

campaigns

Communicatingcompany

values

Communicatingwith greatertransparency

Listening to theopinions ofemployees

Promoting amessage of

national unity

Taking a publicposition on

social issues

Encouragingemployeeactivism

Partnering withactivist

organizations

% of U.S. PR Professionals Who Expect an Increase in Activism

8682 80 78

68 63 63 6053

48 48 45 42 4134 32 28 25 24 21

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

% of U.S. PR Professionals Who Expect an Increase in Activism

Impact on Activism

59

3835

26 2621

16 15 1510 9 9 8 6 5 4 3 3 3 3

21

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

U.S. PR Professionals: % Where Company Will Take a Public Stand

Impact on Company Causes

Impact on Personal Outlook

15%9%

76%

42%

12%

46%

Left Overall Right

23%

15%

63%

Negative OutlookNeutral OutlookPositive Outlook

U.S. General Public

Impact on Unity vs. Civil Unrest

23%

29%

48%25%

40%

35%

General Public PR Professionals Journalists

22%

40%

37%

Civil UnrestNeither/BothNational Unity

Impact on Mutual Respect Between Professions

PR Professionals Journalists

% Who Expect a Positive Impact As An Election Outcome

annenberg.usc.edu/cpr@center4pr #PRFuture