By
Wesley Case
May 4, 2022 at 1:26 pm ET
As brands decide whether to comment on the Supreme Court’s potential decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, roughly half of registered voters said they support when companies speak out on abortion access, according to a new Morning Consult/Politico survey conducted shortly after the news broke.
In recent years, brands have wasted little time letting the public know exactly where they stand on certain issues, from Black Lives Matter and police brutality to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Yet in the immediate aftermath of Politico’s report of the leaked draft opinion indicating the Supreme Court would soon overturn Roe v. Wade, it appears abortion access is a thornier issue for corporations.
While brands like ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Inc. and video game developer Bungie Inc. have tweeted their support for protecting a woman’s right to have an abortion, many major companies — including the Walt Disney Co., Walmart Inc. and Microsoft Corp. — have yet to publicly comment on the potential rolling back of Roe v. Wade.
As Disney learned in its recent feud with Republican Florida governor Ron DeSantis over the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law, there can be serious financial consequences for choosing a side in a contentious debate. Yet when it comes to abortion access and the ongoing clash over Roe v. Wade, the Morning Consult/Politico data reveals Americans would rather know exactly where companies stand — and consumers might even reward companies willing to speak out.
The Morning Consult/Politico survey was conducted May 3, 2022, among a representative sample of 1,955 registered voters, with an unweighted margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.