America This Week Wave 265

The Re-Direction Economy, Summer Travel Still On, Why We Cling to WFH, and This Next Survey is All Trash. 

The latest trends in society and culture from The Harris Poll

We’re finding growing evidence that Americans are increasingly reconsidering their relationship with spending. A perfect storm of forces – sustained economy anxiety, looming recession fears, and growing frustrations of shifting politics in their favorite brands – has created “The Redirection Economy.”

Our CSO Libby Rodney and CEO John Gerzema explain in ten charts why this consumer rebellion might have staying power. Watch the video of their conversation or download the slides here. For more context, see the Next Big Think! installment from our Trends and Thought Leadership team.

We have four new stories this week:

1. We track the reasons for growing consumer boycotts with The Guardian.
2. Despite the economy, Americans still plan to travel this Summer 2025 in our survey with The Points Guy.
3. Five years after COVID-19 shut the office down, many still cling to their WFH lifestyle in a study with Inc.
4. We pulse America’s view of litter and pollution in their communities and what to do about it.

The Brand Loyalty Divorce: The Guardian-Harris Poll

What happens when you become a red or blue brand? Well, you’re likely to become half of the brand you were. Witness our new poll with The Guardian, which finds consumers pulling back from brands they once loved. Typically, minority party consumers are the most active, and here, more than a third (36%) of Americans who are or will boycott are younger, Democratic, and BIPOC consumers.

• In doing so, they say they want to show companies that consumers have economic power and influence (53%) and aim to express their dissatisfaction with current government policies (49%).
• Nearly half of those boycotting (46%) also pointed to companies rolling back their DEI policies as a reason behind their boycott.
• It could be a permanent boycott: (20%) of Americans say they are changing their consumption habits permanently.

Takeaway: Identifying the net loss boycotts have on companies is tricky, and remember this is “stated data,” not behavioral. However, another recent Harris poll found that a quarter of American consumers have stopped shopping at their favorite stores because of shifting political stances. They boycott because they feel companies are giving up core moral values for expediency. And when a brand shifts its politics, it also fractures its brand equity, regardless of whether it’s red or blue. The lesson here is no fence sitting. Stay out of politics or go all the way. In our Axios-Harris Poll 100 two years ago, Patagonia and Chick-Fil-A were in the top five best reputations among all Americans. Whether or not we agree with them, they walk their talk.

Summer Travel Looks Sunny: The Points Guy-Harris Poll

We wanted to see if sliding consumer confidence would impact the Summer travel season. But so far, start packing: Our new poll with The Points Guy finds that regardless of economic headwinds, Americans want to get away:

• Three-fourths of Americans (76%) plan to travel in 2025, with both domestic (71%) and international itineraries (29%).
• More than half of Americans (51%) say they will spend more on travel in 2025 than in previous years.
• In fact, (35%) plan to travel more in 2025 than last year, or the same as 2024 (43% v. travel less: 8%).
• Shared experiences drive travel: In their TPG 2025 Travel Trends Report, (40%) traveled for an event (such as a concert or sporting event) in 2024, and (40%) plan to do the same this year.

Takeaway: “Conventional wisdom would hold that travel is one of the first things to get cut during economic downturns since it’s a discretionary expense. But the numbers so far don’t bear that out. Despite all the received wisdom, screenings at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints for the first three months of the year do not show steep passenger traffic declines. After years of strong year-over-year growth, screening traffic is flat this year — but while travel is down, it’s not the cataclysmic fall some might predict” (The Points Guy).

Five Years Later, Many Still Love Themselves Some WFH: Inc.-Harris Poll

It’s our fifth anniversary, but not one we want to celebrate. We started this newsletter in March 2020 to inform Americans, the medical community, and news media of American public opinion during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Even though a lot has changed – goodbye baking bread and family-sized cereal boxes – the WFH trend remains popular despite growing RTO policies in new Harris data shared with Inc.

• Many want some WFH time: Over half of Americans would prefer hybrid work (37%) or fully remote (30%) over entirely in-person environments (37%).
• Two-thirds (65%) still enjoy Zoom, Skype, and FaceTime to meet with colleagues virtually.
• One surprising trend from the pandemic is that Americans feel more comfortable taking a sick day today than before COVID-19 (37% vs. less comfortable: 6%).
• Still, we’ve previously found with CNBC that most workers (78%) don’t take all their PTO days.

Takeaway: A recent analysis by foot traffic measurement firm Placer.ai indicated that the flow of employees returning to the office during the first two months of the year faded rather than rose. “People are likely acting in support of their preference to work under hybrid or remote arrangements rather than in-office, and are either switching jobs or taking the option when it’s offered to them – as Citi’s CEO Jane Fraser recently did, in support of working moms” (Inc.).

It’s Time For Spring Cleaning: Keep America Beautiful-Harris Poll

Tied to their annual spring campaign, the Greatest American Cleanup™, Americans can spot a litter problem in their communities, but fewer do anything about it.

• Most Americans (90%) believe there is too much litter in their communities, yet less than half (44%) regularly pick up litter (Millennials: 59%).
• Those who do pick up trash care about keeping their communities clean (59%) and reducing pollution (46%); they even report that it brings them a sense of peace (43%).
• The “litter generation gap”: While Boomers+ say those who litter are responsible for picking it up (80% v. Gen Pop: 69%), Gen Z is likelier to say the government (35% v. Gen Pop: 25%). 
• Asked who’s most likely to inspire you to participate in a litter cleanup, Americans voted Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, and Mr. Beast.

Takeaway: “People tell us they want their communities to be cleaner and more beautiful, but many aren’t sure how to make it happen,” said Jennifer Lawson, president and CEO of Keep  America Beautiful. Between now and Earth Day (April 22), Keep America Beautiful challenges everyone to pick up 25 pieces of litter. In 2024, an estimated 300,000 people participated in the spring cleanup, removing more than 10 million pounds of litter and debris.