Weekly Data

WHAT THE DATA SAY: Half of U.S. companies' reputations decline because of higher prices and inflation

By: Ray Day

We wanted to share our latest consumer and business insights, based on research from Stagwell. Among the highlights of our weekly consumer sentiment tracking:

REPUTATION IN DECLINE

Businesses are being blamed for higher prices, and it’s affecting their reputations, according to our 2025 Axios Harris Poll 100 reputation survey.

46% of all U.S. corporate reputations declined.
40% of Americans say their overall opinion of companies is declining, with most pointing to inflation as the top reason.
Tesla, SpaceX, UnitedHealth Group and JCPenney saw the sharpest declines.
Trader Joe’s, Patagonia, Microsoft, Toyota and Costco were among the top five.
New names to the list include Arizona Beverage Company (#7), Ulta Beauty (#27), SoFi (#41), DeepSeek (#46) and UFC (#82).
3M, Subaru and Mattel fell off the list this year.
79% of Americans say brands with the best reputation prioritize consumer wallets.
77% Americans say companies often sell lower-quality products and services while charging higher prices.
70% believe they are taking further advantage of inflation to increase their profit margins.
60% feel companies will use tariffs to raise prices more than needed to boost profits.

OPTIMISM GROWS

Americans are feeling more positive about the economy and their personal finances after tariff rollbacks, based on our May Harvard CAPS / Harris Poll.

42% say the country is on the right track – up from 39% in April.
39% say the economy is on the right track – up from 37% in April and 38% in March.
51% say the U.S. economy is strong today (highest since July 2021).
39% say their personal finances are getting worse, down from 45% in April.
Price increases/inflation and the economy/jobs remain the country’s two major issues (34% and 31%).
63% support cutting the size of the government.
55% say DOGE has been effective.
67% (steady with April) support the goal of cutting $1 trillion in expenditures.

DOWNFALL OF TECH INDUSTRY

National Research Group’s new technology report, the Tech Policy Tightrope, examines today’s fragmented tech landscape and predictions for the next few years. Key findings:

Increased visibility of tech leaders and CEOs carries significant business and reputational risk.
“Responsible AI” and “competitive AI” are not mutually exclusive as the U.S. explores how to balance ethical development and implementation with complex regulations.
As policymaking shifts to the states, California, Texas and New York are emerging as key battleground states for AI, privacy and crypto.
The explosive growth of AI and its impact on the energy grid have made tech policy and energy policy converge.

ANIME ATTRACTING AUDIENCE

Teenage anime fans outnumber Kendrick Lamar fans today, according to our National Research Group report with Crunchyroll.

59% of teenagers identify as anime fans, higher than those who identify as Kendrick Lamar fans (48%).
Teenage fans consider anime to be “meaningful” to who they are (40%) and say it has influenced their outlook on life (30%).
78% say anime has strengthened their personal relationships.

ICYMI: In case you missed it, check out the thought-leadership and happenings around Stagwell making news:

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Weekly Data

May 22, 2025