1.
CEO Activism in 2017: High Noon in the C-Suite is the second annual nationwide poll conducted by Weber Shandwick in
partnership with KRC Research about CEO activism, an evolving dynamic in which some chief executive officers have spoken
out publicly on controversial issues. We surveyed 1,021 U.S. adults, 18 years of age and older, representing the general
population of America, to provide companies with insights into how the public expects business leaders to respond to
hot-button issues of the day. This study follows The Dawn of CEO Activism, a 2016 study that identified the risks and rewards
for companies when their chief executives speak out on contentious issues.
For more information about CEO Activism in 2017: High Noon in the C-Suite, please contact:
Micho Spring
Global Corporate Practice Chair
Weber Shandwick
mspring@webershandwick.com
Leslie Gaines-Ross
Chief Reputation Strategist
Weber Shandwick
lgaines-ross@webershandwick.com
44%
MILLENNIAL DEMAND FOR CEO
ACTIVISM SURGES
% who believe that CEOs
have a responsibility to speak
up about issues that are
important to society
% who say business
leaders have a greater
responsibility to speak out
now than in years past
HIGH NOON IN
THE C-SUITE
MILLENNIAL BUYING DECISIONS INCREASINGLY
INFLUENCED BY CEO ACTIVISM
% who say they would be more likely to buy from a company whose CEO
speaks out on an issue they agree with
MILLENNIAL EMPLOYEES
PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO CEO
ACTIVIST BOSSES
% who say they would be more loyal to their organization
if their own CEO took a public position on a hotly
debated current issue (among full-time employees)
Millennials
Gen Xers
Boomers
16%
18%
OF MILLENNIALS
OF GEN XERS
11% 17% 14%Change
since 2016
51% 33% 30%OF BOOMERS
THE COST OF SILENCE
Risk of CEOs not speaking out on hotly debated current issues (% Total Americans)
RISK OF CRITICISM
47% (NET)
RISK TO BOTTOM LINE
38% (NET)
RISK TO TALENTPOOL
20% (NET)
From media (30%)
From customers (26%)
From employees (21%)
From government (9%)
Sales decline (21%)
Boycotts (21%)
Financial hardship (20%)
Candidate applications
decline (14%)
Employees quitting (12%)
47%
28% 28%
56%
36% 35%
MILLENNIALS
GENXERS
BOOMERS
MILLENNIALS
GENXERS
BOOMERS
CEO ACTIVISM IN 2017: