An analysis of 2,200+ brands finds that fewer than a third (29%) of major US brands have bipartisan appeal, with American Eagle (#1), KFC (#2), and La Quinta by Wyndham (#3) striking the most balance across ideological lines, according to a new report from YouGov.
Meanwhile, America’s most polarized brands in their respective industries include:
- Automotive: Subaru (+12 percentage-points skew toward liberals)
- Beer & hard seltzers: Bud Light (+6.8pp toward liberals)
- Fashion: Nike (+13.5pp toward liberals)
- Fast food & QSR: Chick-fil-A (+21.0pp toward conservatives)
- Food: Jimmy Dean (+14.5pp toward conservatives)
- Investment: Vanguard (+3.4pp toward liberals)
- Online brands: Google Docs (+17.4pp toward liberals)
- Soft drinks & beverages: A&W (+10.0pp toward conservatives)
- Video game franchises: The Legend of Zelda (+8.2pp toward liberals)
Weighing survey responses from more than 360,000 Americans over the past year, YouGov’s US bipartisan brand rankings 2024 also uncovers that conservatives consider 7.2% fewer brands than liberals do. This is especially true for travel, with conservatives considering 40% fewer airlines and 18% fewer accommodation brands than liberals.
“Across industries, brands have to work harder to break into the conservative consideration set,” said Ryan Gmerek, VP at YouGov America. “Our deep data analysis found that retail was one of the few industries where conservatives are more likely than liberals to consider any given brand.”
In total, YouGov’s US bipartisan brand rankings 2024 identifies the 150+ brands across 27 industries that have the biggest difference in support between liberals and conservatives, as well as the brands that have the most even split in support.
The report is available for free download here.
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