Ukraine: The British public expects brands to take a stand

Two in three Britons (68%) say it’s important for brands to publicly take a stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict; just one in six (17%) say that it is not important for brands to do this, according to new research from YouGov.

Key findings 

• Almost three in five (56%) Britons say they are less likely to buy from a brand that continues doing business in Russia.
• That headline figure hides a significant difference among age groups: two-thirds of those aged 50-64 (65%) and 65+ (67%), are less likely to buy, but just one third of those aged 18-24 (33%) also say this.

• Half (51%) of Britons are more likely to buy from a brand that stops doing business with Russia.
• Again, this sentiment is lowest amongst younger Britons with just one third (33%) saying they would be more likely to buy from brands that did this.
• Two in five (41%) would boycott or already have boycotted brands that continue doing business with Russia.
• Around one in five say that they have already boycotted or would consider boycotting brands that have not made any public statements about the conflict (20%), not pledged to donate money/supplies to the Ukrainian army (21%), and not pledged to donate money/supplies to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine (23%).

Why it matters

The ordinary person feels limited as to what they can do in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but money talks, whether that’s in the form of donations to humanitarian bodies or the withholding of spending on brands perceived to be uncaring or even indirectly helping the aggression. Marketers may need to make clear which side their brand is on.

Sourced from YouGov