With the release of APCO’s latest Pulse Check study, “Corporate Action in the Survival Economy,” I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what I’ve learned in the years I’ve been leading these studies on corporate advocacy and reputation.
In our first study in 2017, “Corporate Advocacy in Five Acts,” companies were being asked to engage on issues and topics that they never had before. Our survey of engaged consumers issued a clear mandate: show up, take stands and become what we called “societal shareholders.” The expectations were expansive and, in that moment, felt urgent. But the moment did not last.
In our 2022 study, “It’s Time to Recalibrate—Surprising Truths About Corporate Advocacy,” the research said it was time to recalibrate. Yes, Americans broadly believed companies had a role to play in addressing societal challenges, but that role only needed to be within a company’s area of expertise. The message was not to retreat, but to be more deliberate.
By early 2025, what Americans wanted from companies had a new center of gravity: be on our side economically, support American workers, commit to domestic jobs and don’t pass your costs on to us. Our “Business on the Home Front” study found that supporting U.S. jobs, domestic suppliers and affordability had moved to the center of what Americans expected from companies. The demand wasn’t for traditional corporate advocacy, but rather for companies to prove their economic commitment to the people in their communities.
And now, in 2026, the story has arrived at its clearest chapter. In our most recent study, “Corporate Action in the Survival Economy,” the mandate is not complex. Americans want companies to deliver on the fundamentals: affordable prices, fair wages, safe workplaces, data protection and U.S. jobs. They want companies to hold their commitments under pressure rather than recalibrate to the political weather.
While expectations have shifted through the years, three key principles remain the same:
- Corporate reputation is built through actions, not just words.
- How a company treats its employees has always been a proxy for corporate character—and that hasn’t changed, even as the current environment makes it easier for companies to look the other way.
- Permission to engage is connected to business relevancy.
The companies best positioned for the environment ahead are those that never needed to recalibrate in the first place, because they built their commitments around genuine values. Nearly a decade of research points to the same north star, even as the winds have changed: know what you stand for, act more than you speak, treat your employees and customers as proof of your values and hold steady, even when it’s hard.
I invite you to read “Corporate Action in the Survival Economy.” The findings are both sobering and clarifying and offer real insights into how companies navigate what comes next.
