The insight: Consumers are increasingly taking brands’ values into account when they shop, according to a survey by the Kearney Consumer Institute.

• 2 in 5 US consumers say they’ve boycotted a brand in the past 12 months.
• 51% have stopped making purchases from brands that don’t align with their values.

What it means: The polarizing political environment has turned even widely supported initiatives—like diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and LGBTQ+ causes—into flashpoints, drawing scrutiny from conservative activists and the Trump administration.

Staying quiet isn’t always an option: Over two-thirds of consumers (68%) think brands should voice their values. And backtracking could be even more costly, as Target and Bud Light have found, with the potential to hurt not only sales but also brand reputation.

Our take: Brands can take solace in knowing that while consumers are increasingly using their spending (or lack thereof) to make a political statement, product quality, pricing, and reliability still matter greatly.

• Cost concerns can outweigh dissatisfaction with retailers’ policies, especially as uncertainty pushes consumers to find value wherever they can. That explains why boycott actions against Walmart and Amazon have had less success than similar efforts against Target.
• But companies that stay true to their values and communicate them openly have the opportunity to win lasting loyalty.

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