Civility in America 2013: Corporate Reputation Edition
Newly released research conducted by Weber Shandwick and Powell Tate found that incivility in business is a real threat to consumer spending.
Six in 10 Americans (61 percent) have either decided not to buy from a company again because they were treated uncivilly by the business (54 percent), and/or they advised others not to buy products or services from the company because they had a rude or uncivil experience (43 percent). Those most likely to vote with their wallets after experiencing incivility at the hands of a company or its representatives include consumers under 50, parents of kids under 18 and those with higher household incomes. This segment is often considered many marketers’ demographic “sweet spot,” especially during holiday gift-giving season.
Weber Shandwick and Powell Tate partner annually with KRC Research to conduct Civility in America: A Nationwide Survey to gauge the American public’s attitudes toward civility in society and their experiences dealing with incivility. The fourth installment in the series found that an alarming 70 percent of Americans believe incivility has reached crisis proportions and that Americans experience incivility an average of 2.4 times per day. This follow-up, Civility in America: The Corporate Reputation Edition, explores the perceptions of civility in business and the impact of incivility on consumer purchasing.
Incivility, whether it exists between a company and its customers or between fellow customers, is part of the shopping experience. Civility in America shows that half of Americans (52 percent) have experienced incivility while shopping, a slight rise from 2011 (49 percent).
Read the full text of the study here.
