Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report

Bentley-Gallup

Business in Society Report

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Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report

The 2023 Bentley-Gallup Business in Society study

is based on a Gallup Panel web survey completed

by 5,458 adults in the U.S., aged 18 and older,

conducted May 8-15, 2023. The Gallup Panel is a

probability-based longitudinal panel of U.S. adults

whom Gallup selects using random-digit-dial phone

interviews that cover landlines and cellphones. Gallup

also uses address-based sampling methods to

recruit Panel members. The Gallup Panel is not an

opt-in panel.

The sample for this study was weighted to be

demographically representative of the U.S. adult

population, using the most recent Current Population

Survey gures.

For results based on this sample, one can say that the

maximum margin of sampling error is ±1.8 percentage

points at the 95% condence level for response

percentages around 50% and ±1.1 percentage points

for response percentages around 10% or 90%,

design eect included. Margins of error are higher

for subsamples.

In addition to sampling error, question wording

and practical diculties in conducting surveys can

introduce error or bias into the ndings of public

opinion polls.

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Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report

Table of Contents

Foreword

Key Findings

Introduction

Detailed Findings

Americans believe businesses

have a positive impact on their

lives — but can do more.

Americans think businesses are

still falling short in important areas.

Americans are wary of articial

intelligence use in business.

Americans seek employers that

have a positive impact on their

workers — and the world.

Methodology

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Foreword

I’ll come right out and say it: there’s a fair amount to

be pessimistic about these days. Political acrimony,

persistent economic inequality, violence and injustice,

stubborn global ination, a growing international food

crisis. The list goes on.

Despite these headlines, I’m hopeful about where

our country is headed. My optimism is driven, in part

anyway, by my interactions with the young men and

women who are just beginning to realize the impact

they can have on the world. As the president of a

university, I am surrounded by these students every

day — the leaders of tomorrow who inspire me with

their talent, intelligence, compassion and desire to

make this world better than how they found it.

Here is something else that gives me hope: the power

and potential of business. At its best, business can

provide an enabling pathway for families, communities

and societies. In an era when incivility, anger and

tribalism have driven many to the extreme ends of

the political spectrum, businesses can provide an

important alternative, bringing us together in support of

the stores where we shop or the companies where we

work instead of pushing us apart.

I’m far from alone in this belief. This year, more

Americans — 63% — say businesses have a positive

impact on society. That number has risen signicantly,

even as Americans’ faith in other institutions has

fallen. I think the reason is clear. Positive margins

and protability necessitate community investment,

stakeholder engagement and commonality.

Successful businesses need to be responsive to

their customers and their communities. And they are

realizing it more and more. Without that engagement,

even the best idea will fail. A good business plan must

include generating positive value for society.

Business aects nearly every aspect of society.

That is why Bentley University has partnered with

Gallup to measure what Americans think about the

role of business in America. In this second annual

Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report, we asked

5,458 U.S. adults about areas in which businesses

are having a positive impact — and where they are

falling short.

The survey explores topics, including articial

intelligence and exible work, that increasingly aect

our daily lives. In many areas, attitudes among

the 18- to 29-year-olds, who make up our future

consumers and workforce, dier radically from the

older executives who run many U.S. businesses.

These results should matter to every business leader

who cares about connecting with their customers

and recruiting and retaining talented workers. The

companies that learn about and respond to what

Americans expect and want will be the ones that

survive and have the most enduring impact in our

society. I’m hopeful about that, too.

E. LaBrent Chrite

President

Bentley University

Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report

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Key Findings

Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report

Americans believe businesses have a positive

impact on their lives — but can do more.

■ Sixty-three percent of Americans say businesses

have an extremely or somewhat positive impact

on people’s lives — an 8-percentage-point

increase from 2022.

■ While the majority (58%) of Americans think

businesses are extremely or somewhat eective

in positively impacting people’s lives, they see

room for businesses to do even more: 88% of

U.S. adults say businesses have a “great deal” or

“some” power to positively impact people’s lives.

■ Americans are more positive about small

businesses’ impact: Americans are twice as likely

to say small businesses have a positive eect

on people’s lives (85%), compared with large

businesses (42%).

■ Less than half (41%) of Americans say

businesses should take a public stance on

current events, a decline of 7 percentage points

from 2022. Americans are most supportive of

businesses speaking out on climate change

(55%) and mental health (52%), and least

supportive of businesses taking stances on

religion (15%), political candidates (19%) and

abortion (26%).

- Americans aged 18 to 29 are much more likely

to want businesses to take a public stance

on current events (53%) than those aged 45

and over (35%). This represents a signicant

tension between younger consumers

and the older executives who run many

U.S. businesses.

Americans think businesses are falling short in

important areas.

■ Fifty percent of Americans think businesses

negatively impact the environment.

■ Eighty-two percent of Americans believe avoiding

a major pay gap between the salaries of CEOs

and their average employees is somewhat

or extremely important, but only 13% say

businesses are doing an excellent or good job

at doing so.

■ Over 80% of Americans believe it is extremely

important that businesses make money in ethical

ways and compensate all workers fairly, but less

than one-third think businesses are eectively

doing both.

■ Americans want transparency from healthcare

companies: Ninety-ve percent of Americans say

healthcare companies should be required to tell

them how much a product or service will cost

before they receive it. However, only 17% say

they know how much their healthcare products

and services cost before they receive them.

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Americans are wary of articial intelligence use

in business.

■ Seventy-nine percent of Americans say they trust

businesses “not much” or “not at all” to use AI

responsibly, and 40% say AI does greater harm

than it does good.

■ Three-quarters of Americans believe AI will

reduce the number of jobs in the U.S. over the

next 10 years. Concern about the negative

eects of AI on the job market is especially high

among adults with less than a bachelor’s degree

and those aged 45 or older.

■ Americans believe AI is better than or as good

as humans at customizing the content users

see online (68%), recommending products or

services (65%), and assisting students with

their studies (60%). However, they think AI is

worse than humans at providing medical advice

(62%), driving cars (68%) and recommending the

employees a company should hire (69%).

- Americans aged 18 to 29 are much more likely

to trust AI to perform tasks better or as well as

humans, compared with older age groups.

Americans seek employers that have a positive

impact on their employees — and the world.

■ Fifty-ve percent of Americans say they would

move jobs to work at an organization that makes

a greater positive impact on society, and one

in four would do so even if it meant taking a

10% pay cut.

- Younger Americans feel even more strongly.

Seventy-one percent of workers aged 18

to 29 say they would leave their job to work

for an employer that has a greater positive

impact, and 29% say they would take a 10%

pay cut to do so.

■ More than 70% of Americans believe oering a

four-day, 40-hour workweek, limiting the amount

of work employees are expected to perform

outside the workday, and oering mental health

days, would increase employee wellbeing.

■ When considering taking a new job, 87% of

Americans say it is extremely or somewhat

important that a company oers exible work

arrangements, and 68% nd it important that

the company provides free mental health

support services.

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Introduction

Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report

There is perhaps no institution more powerful in

America today than business. Whether a multinational

conglomerate or mom-and-pop shop, businesses

of all types form the bedrock of society by creating

jobs, generating wealth, and oering innovative

goods and services. They are engines of growth on

the global economic stage and are the heartbeat of

local communities.

While U.S. businesses have traditionally been rooted in

capitalistic ideals of generating shareholder value, there

is also growing interest in how these organizations

can increase value for society.

Notably, in 2019,

the CEOs of 181 leading multinational companies

released a joint statement redening the purpose of

their corporations — to promote prosperity, not only

for their shareholders, but also for their customers,

employees and the communities they serve.

1 Coen Gilbert, J., Houlahan, B., & Kassoy, A. (2015). What is the role of business in society? Aspen Institute. https://www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/what-

role-business-society/

2 Business Roundtable. (2019, August 19). Business Roundtable redenes the purpose of a corporation to promote ‘An economy that serves all Americans’

[Press release]. https://www.businessroundtable.org/business-roundtable-redenes-the-purpose-of-a-corporation-to-promote-an-economy-that-serves-

all-americans

Although businesses may perceive themselves as

forces for good, do Americans view them in the same

light? In 2022, Bentley University and Gallup partnered

to quantify Americans’ attitudes toward businesses

and the impact they are making in their personal lives

and society more generally. The 2023 Bentley-Gallup

Business in Society Report builds upon insights

released in 2022, identifying changes in attitudes

toward businesses from 2022 to 2023, and addressing

new, important issues businesses are contending with,

including the use of articial intelligence. Results show

that while Americans believe businesses can make

a positive impact, they feel as if these businesses

are not realizing their full potential. The ndings from

web-based surveys with more than 5,000 Americans

reveal areas where businesses are excelling and

where they are falling short. In doing so, the research

oers insights for how businesses can positively

impact society.

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Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report

Detailed Findings

Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report

Americans believe businesses have a positive impact on

their lives — but can do more.

3 For more information about the methodology of the 2022 Bentley University-Gallup Force for Good Study, see: bentley.edu/gallup/2022

Americans’ perception of the impact of

businesses is generally positive and has grown

since 2022.

In 2023, 63% of U.S. adults say businesses have an

extremely or somewhat positive impact on people’s

lives — an 8-percentage-point increase from 2022.

“

Is doing good, good for business? The

answer is a resounding ‘yes’! Businesses

benet when customers are thriving.

Businesses that nd concrete ways to

improve the wellbeing of customers through

their products, services and philanthropy will

earn trust and market share.”

— Vint Cerf, Chief Internet Evangelist

for Google and one of the “fathers of

the internet”

Americans’ views of businesses’ impact are consistent

across demographic groups, except for by age:

71% of adults aged 60 and older say businesses

have a positive impact on their lives, compared with

62% of adults aged 45 to 59 and 58% of adults

aged 18 to 44.

While Americans believe businesses have an overall

positive inuence on people, they worry about

businesses’ inuence on the environment.

One in two Americans believe

businesses are either extremely

or somewhat negatively

impacting the planet.

Views on environmental impact are sharply divided by

age and political aliation, with younger Americans

and Democrats much more likely than older adults and

Republicans to feel businesses have a negative impact

on the environment.

FIGURE 1

More Americans Today Think Businesses Have a Positive Impact on People’s Lives Than in 2022

In your opinion, which of the following best describes the impact businesses have on people’s lives?

2022 2023

Note: Due to rounding, percentages may not equal 100%.

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Americans are more positive about the impact

small businesses make, compared with

big businesses.

Twice as many Americans say small businesses have

a positive impact on people’s lives (85%) as say the

same of large businesses (42%). These ndings align

with prior Gallup research showing that small business

is the U.S. institution adults trust most (65%) and big

business one of the institutions they trust least (14%).

4 Saad, L. (2023, July 6). Historically low faith in U.S. institutions continues. Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/508169/historically-low-faith-institutions-

continues.aspx

While roughly eight in 10 Americans of all genders,

races, ages and political parties believe small

businesses have a positive impact, some demographic

subgroups — including adults younger than 45, and

those who identify as LGBTQ+ — are far less likely

than their peers to believe large businesses have a

positive impact on people’s lives.

FIGURE 2

Americans Believe Small Businesses Have a More Positive Impact on People’s Lives Than

Big Businesses

In your opinion, which of the following best describes the impact [small/large] businesses have on

people’s lives?

% Extremely or somewhat positive

% Large business % Small business

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Americans believe businesses have the power

to enact change but are not realizing their

full potential.

Eighty-eight percent of Americans believe businesses

have a “great deal” or “some” power to positively

impact people’s lives; however, only 58% say

these organizations are very or somewhat eective

in doing so.

Although Americans see businesses as having less

power to impact people’s lives than federal, state

and local governments, they consider businesses

as marginally more eective than state and local

government entities, and notably more eective than

the federal government. Both the public and private

sectors, however, are far outpaced in perceived

eectiveness by charitable organizations, although

Americans believe these nonprot institutions wield

less power.

FIGURE 3

Americans Think Businesses Are Not Maximizing Their Power to Make a Positive Impact

How much power does each of the following groups have to make a positive impact on people’s lives?

How eective are the following groups at making a positive impact on people’s lives?

Note: Due to rounding, percentages may not equal 100%.

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Fewer Americans think businesses should

speak out on current events.

Less than half (41%) of Americans say businesses

should take a public stance on current events, a

decline of 7 percentage points from 2022.

Waning support among Democrats on this issue

is a main driver of the decrease — in 2022,

75% of Democrats said businesses should

adopt public stances, but that gure drops to

62% in 2023.

Few Americans are in favor of businesses taking

stances on major sociopolitical issues, such as

religion (15%), political candidates (19%) and

abortion (26%).

Of the 11 issues surveyed, climate change (55%)

and mental health (52%) are the only two that a

majority of Americans — albeit a slim majority —

favor corporations wading into publicly.

Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report

These two topic areas — the

environment and mental health —

are also those that businesses’

behaviors and attitudes likely aect

the most; while the public might

perceive businesses as having to

comply with regulations related to

other policy areas (e.g., promoting

equitable hiring practices, providing

healthcare for employees), they are

less likely to feel businesses should

be inuencing those policies.

“

Corporate activism is an important part

of living into your purpose or living into

a purpose that your employees can

connect to. We have chosen to be

very focused on changing the course

of women’s health. We have chosen to

do that so our words around women’s

health and championing access to

healthcare for women are as authentic

and strong as they can be.”

— Lisa Hellmann, Senior Vice President

of Global Human Resources and

Corporate Communications at Hologic

FIGURE 4

A Slim Majority of Americans Say Companies Should Speak Out on Climate Change and

Mental Health

Do you think that business, in general, should take a public stance on subjects that have to do with

the following?

% Yes

Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report

Overall, younger Americans are more supportive

of businesses speaking out: Whereas only 35% of

Americans aged 45 and over believe businesses

should speak out on current events, 47% of 30- to

44-year-olds think they should, and an even higher

percentage of 18- to 29-year-olds (53%) want

businesses to take a public stance.

This represents a large divide

between younger consumers

and the older executives who

run many U.S. businesses.

This division by age group persists when Americans

are asked about specic issues as well.

Younger Americans are much more likely than adults

over 60 to support businesses taking public stances

on LGBTQ+ issues, climate change, racial concerns

and abortion.

Besides younger Americans, Black Americans (61%),

Asian Americans (61%) and individuals identifying as

LGBTQ+ (57%) are particularly likely to say businesses

should comment on current events.

Of all observed demographic characteristics, political

party aliation has the strongest association with

support for businesses taking public stances on

current events. Democrats are more than three times

as likely as Republicans and nearly twice as likely as

independents to support businesses speaking out.

While this gap between Democrats and Republicans

is large, it has decreased 13 percentage points since

2022, largely due to a decline in Democrats’ support

for the practice.

FIGURE 5

Young, Black, Asian and LGBTQ+ Americans Are Most Likely to Say Businesses Should Take a

Public Stance

Do you think businesses, in general, should take a public stance on current events?

% Yes

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Americans think businesses are still falling short in

important areas.

While Americans generally think businesses are making a positive impact on people’s lives, they feel businesses are

not fully leveraging practices that promote environmental, social and corporate responsibility.

5 Alfonseca, K., & Zahn, M. (2023, July 7). How corporate America is slashing DEI workers amid backlash to diversity programs. ABC News. https://abcnews.

go.com/US/corporate-america-slashing-dei-workers-amid-backlash-diversity/story?id=100477952

Americans believe businesses should prioritize

fair compensation and ethical protmaking.

Americans prioritize business practices relating to

prot and compensation. Over 80% consider making

money in ethical ways and compensating all workers

fairly as extremely important. Americans believe it

is extremely important for businesses to prioritize

other practices, too, such as providing employees

high-quality healthcare benets (67%) and operating

in an environmentally sustainable way (59%),

though support in those areas is lower than for fair

compensation and ethical prots.

Notably, 74% of U.S. adults say promoting diversity,

equity and inclusion (DEI) is somewhat or extremely

important, a decrease of 4 percentage points

from 2022. This decrease may reect the recent

national backlash against DEI initiatives, especially in

the workforce.

Partisanship especially inuences how Americans

perceive the role of business implementing practices

that can make a positive impact. On every business

priority, Democrats assign the greatest level of

importance and Republicans the least. However,

there are areas of agreement, as Americans across

both parties are less divided over whether businesses

should make money ethically, oer fair wages and

improve the communities they serve.

Few Americans think businesses are excelling in

practices that can make an impact.

Most Americans say businesses are not excelling in

any of the 12 practice areas surveyed. More than

two in three Americans believe that businesses are

doing just a fair or poor job in oering fair wages to

all workers (70%) and making money in ethical ways

(68%) — the two practices that adults most want

businesses to prioritize.

Notably, Americans who identify a business practice as

“extremely important” are often signicantly less likely

to believe businesses are performing that practice well,

compared with their peers who state the practice is

less important. In other words, Americans who assign

the greatest responsibility to businesses to do good

are the least likely to believe they are doing so.

“

Creating an ‘ownership culture’ requires

much more than just sharing stock. For

example, employees need to be given

key information on business performance

and a voice in how the company operates

and invests. When done well, these

eorts create an environment where

employees feel included, respected

and trusted. This translates into lower

employee quit rates and higher levels of

engagement — and, consequently, stronger

corporate performance.”

— Pete Stavros, co-head of Global Private

Equity at KKR and founder of the nonprot

Ownership Works

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FIGURE 6

Percentage of Americans Saying Each Action Is Extremely Important for Businesses to Do,

Compared With the Percentage Who Believe Businesses Are Excellent or Good at It

In your opinion, how important is it that businesses, in general, do the following?

In your opinion, how do you think businesses, in general, are doing in the following areas?

% Excellent or good at it % Extremely important

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Americans think businesses can do more to lessen the pay gap between executives and employees.

One of the biggest gaps between how important Americans believe a business practice is and how they perceive the

ecacy of companies’ implementation of that practice relates to executive compensation.

6 Mishel, L., & Kandra, J. (2021). CEO pay has skyrocketed 1,322% since 1978. Economic Policy Institute. https://www.epi.org/publication/ceo-pay-in-2020/

Eighty-two percent of Americans

believe avoiding a major pay

gap between CEOs and average

employees is somewhat or extremely

important, but only 13% say

businesses are doing an excellent

or good job minimizing that gap.

This sentiment aligns with recent reports, which

estimate that CEO compensation grew 1,322%

between 1978 and 2020, compared with just 18%

wage growth for the typical worker; as a result, CEOs

of top rms earned 351 times more than their average

employee in 2020.

Large majorities of Americans

across age and demographic groups believe it is

important that companies reduce this growing gap

between CEO and worker salaries.

FIGURE 7

Majority of Americans Say It Is Important for Businesses to Reduce Pay Gap Between CEO

and Employees

How important is it that businesses avoid a major pay gap between CEOs and average employees?

% Extremely important % Somewhat important

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“

Companies can do more to educate people

on what goes into healthcare cost and

what they can expect in terms of quality.

So often, healthcare providers in particular

undercommunicate what a patient or person

should expect.”

— Lisa Hellmann, Senior Vice President of

Global Human Resources and Corporate

Communications at Hologic

Americans want healthcare companies to

be more transparent.

Another area where Americans say businesses

are falling short is transparency — particularly

among healthcare companies. When many

people see a doctor or visit the hospital,

they don’t know the cost of the care they

receive until much later. Ninety-ve percent

of Americans say healthcare organizations

should be required to tell them how much a

product or service will cost before they receive

it. However, only 17% say they know how

much their healthcare products and services

cost before they receive them.

Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report

Americans are wary of articial intelligence use

in business.

Articial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the world of work, fundamentally transforming how companies do

business. Companies big and small are eagerly turning to AI to increase eciency and cut costs in the workplace,

but do Americans believe that embracing AI is at odds with businesses’ pursuit to be forces for good? The 2023

Bentley-Gallup Business in Society study nds evidence that businesses have work to do to arm their commitment

to using these tools to promote positive change in society.

7 Haan, K. (2023). How businesses are using articial intelligence in 2023. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/ai-in-business/

Americans do not trust businesses to use

AI responsibly.

An overwhelming majority of Americans — 79% —

report trusting businesses “not much” or “not at all”

to adopt AI responsibly. Trust levels are consistently

low among all subgroups of the U.S. adult population,

including gender, race, age, education level and

political party aliation.

“

Responsible use of software, in general,

and AI/machine learning in particular, has a

lot to do with risk and who experiences it.

If the customers of products and services

experience risk in their use, the company

should bear some responsibility.”

— Vint Cerf, Chief Internet Evangelist

for Google and one of the “fathers of

the internet”

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FIGURE 8

Mistrust of Businesses’ Use of AI Is Widespread

In general, how much do you trust businesses to use articial intelligence responsibly ?

% Not at all % Not much % A lot/some

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Most Americans believe AI will eliminate jobs.

Lack of trust in businesses using AI responsibly may

be partly due to concerns about AI shrinking the size

of the workforce. Three in four Americans believe

articial intelligence will decrease the number of jobs

in the U.S. over the next 10 years. This concern is

especially high among those without a bachelor’s

degree and those aged 45 or older.

The future of the American workforce — 18- to

29-year-olds — is the least concerned about the

projected eects of AI on the job market. Sixty-six

percent of these young Americans believe AI will

decrease the number of jobs in the U.S., compared

with 72% of adults aged 30 to 44, 79% of adults aged

45 to 59, and 80% of adults 60 or older.

FIGURE 9

Most Americans Think AI Will Decrease Number of Jobs in the U.S.

In your opinion, what type of eect will articial intelligence have on the total number of jobs in the United

States over the next 10 years?

% Increase the number of jobs % No eect on the number of jobs % Decrease the number of jobs

Note: Due to rounding, percentages may not equal 100%.

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Americans are skeptical about AI’s benet

to society.

Just one in 10 Americans believe AI does more good

than harm. Fifty percent of U.S. adults believe AI does

equal amounts of harm and good and 40% say AI

does more harm than good. This wariness about the

eect of AI on society permeates all subgroups of the

adult U.S. population.

Interestingly, Black and Asian Americans have

a more positive view of AI’s benets to society:

Seventy percent of Asian and 67% of Black adults say

AI does more good than harm, or equal amounts of

harm and good, compared to 60% of Hispanic and

59% of white adults.

“

So, if we look at AI as a tool, it all depends

on how we use it. And what I’m spending

a lot of time analyzing is how can we use

it to make human beings better. I really

believe that human beings are meant to keep

evolving. We are all a work in progress.”

— Arianna Hungton, founder and

CEO of Thrive Global and founder of

The Hungton Post

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People think AI performs as well as or better than

humans at some tasks.

Although a minority of U.S. adults think AI does

more good than harm, Americans believe AI can

perform certain tasks as well as — or even better

than— humans, including: customizing the content

they see online (68%), recommending products or

services (65%), and assisting students with their

homework (60%).

But Americans are more skeptical of AI performing

other tasks. Sixty-two percent believe AI would do

worse than a person at recommending medical advice

(62%), driving cars (68%) and recommending the

employees a company should hire (69%).

In general, however, young Americans are more

optimistic about AI’s capabilities than older adults.

They think AI can especially enhance their online

experiences: For example, 82% of Americans aged

18 to 29 say AI is as good or better than people at

customizing the content they see online, the highest

of any age group.

FIGURE 10

Americans Think AI Performs Better or as Well as People at Select Tasks

In your opinion, how well does articial intelligence do the following compared with a person?

% Performs better than a human % Performs the same as a human % Performs worse than a human

Note: Due to rounding, percentages may not equal 100%.

*Asked of respondents with social media

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Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report

Americans seek employers that have a positive impact on

their workers — and the world.

8 Iacurci, G. (2023, February 1). 2022 was the ‘real year of the Great Resignation’ says economist. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/01/why-2022-was-the-

real-year-of-the-great-resignation.html

9 Harter, J. (2023). Is quiet quitting real? Gallup. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/398306/quiet-quitting-real.aspx

In 2023, an unprecedented 50.5 million adults quit

their jobs, surpassing the previous year’s record

of 47.8 million.

Gallup research indicates that at

least 50% of U.S. workers are also “quietly quitting”

— becoming increasingly disengaged, minimally

productive and psychologically disconnected from their

work.

This challenging landscape is leading employers

to re-examine their business practices to retain current

employees and recruit new employees. The 2023

Bentley-Gallup Business in Society study specically

asked Americans to rate business practices that would

be most important to them when deciding whether to

take a new job.

Fair wages for workers and high-quality healthcare

are the top priorities of Americans when searching

for a new job. But, Americans also place high

importance on whether a potential employer promotes

their individual wellbeing. Eighty-seven percent

of Americans say exible work arrangements are

extremely or somewhat important when considering

where to work and 68% say the same about free

mental health support services oered by an employer.

Overall, Americans place less focus on societal

benets like promoting DEI, operating sustainably and

making the world a better place.

“

One of the things I tried to do as a U.S.

Ambassador and career diplomat was

to think in terms of individualism — be

that for a person or respect for the

uniqueness of a culture or nation. Linking

this to business, what I hear the most from

millennials, Gen Zers and the ‘Born Globals’

is one of these things: people do not always

see me, hear me or address issues important

to me (e.g., quality of life, sustainability,

community, wage fairness). This data

underscores what is top-of-mind to today’s

workforce. To which, business leaders

need to reply, ‘I see you, I hear you and I

am responding.’”

— Ambassador Dr. Robin Sanders, former

U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Republic of the

Congo, entrepreneur, scholar and author

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Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report

FIGURE 11

Fair Wages and High-Quality Healthcare Are Top Priorities for Potential Job Seekers

Hypothetically, when searching for a new job, how important would each of the following factors be when

deciding which company or workplace to apply for?

% Extremely important % Somewhat important % Not very important % Not important at all

Note: Due to rounding, percentages may not equal 100%; numerals shown when ≥5%.

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Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report

Americans want to work for employers that

change the world.

Americans say they would leave their current job for

one that has a more positive impact on the world —

even if it aects their paycheck.

Most employed Americans (55%)

say they would move jobs to make a

greater positive impact. One in four

Americans would leave their job even

if it meant taking a 10% pay cut.

Young Americans are more willing than those in any

other age group to take a lower paying job to achieve

greater impact. Seventy-one percent of workers under

30 would move jobs to make a greater positive impact

on the world, and 29% of such workers would take a

10% pay cut to do so. By contrast, 29% of workers

60 and older would leave their current job to work at a

company that has a greater impact on the world, and

15% of that group of older Americans would still leave

if switching jobs required a 10% pay cut.

FIGURE 12

Young Adults, Democrats and Those Identifying as LGBTQ+ Are Most Likely to Switch Jobs to

Achieve Greater Impact

Would you be willing to leave your current job to work at an organization that has a greater positive impact

on the world?

Among employed Americans

% Yes % Yes, with 10% pay cut

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Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report

Americans say workplace changes would improve

their wellbeing.

Just 52% of Americans believe businesses make an

overall positive impact on people’s wellbeing — which

encompasses career, nancial, social, physical and

community wellbeing.

And many Americans feel

their employers are not promoting the wellbeing of

their employees.

Indeed, Gallup research nds that

50% of U.S. employees today are looking to leave

their current organization — and that dissatisfaction

with their wellbeing and work-life balance is one of

the main reasons for departing.

Embracing practices

that improve wellbeing is thus a potential avenue

businesses can explore to improve their overall impact

on society, as well as increase employee retention.

10 Gallup. (2023). What is employee wellbeing? And why does it matter? https://www.gallup.com/workplace/404105/importance-of-employee-wellbeing.aspx.

11 Harter, J. (2023). Percent who feel employer cares about their wellbeing plummets. Gallup. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/390776/percent-feel-employer-

cares-wellbeing-plummets.aspx

12 Gallup. (2023). Employee retention and attraction. https://www.gallup.com/467702/indicator-employee-retention-attraction.aspx

When asked to rate actions that employers could

take to increase employees’ wellbeing, 77% of

Americans say oering a four-day, 40-hour workweek

for employees who typically work ve-day, 40-hour

workweeks would improve their wellbeing. The

perceived positive impact of a condensed workweek

is greater among younger workers, with 82% of 18- to

29-year-olds saying it would positively aect their

wellbeing — the highest of any age group. Similarly,

66% of Americans say limiting the amount of time

they are expected to spend on work emails outside

of the workday would improve their wellbeing. A large

majority (74%) also say oering paid “mental health

days” to employees, like paid sick days or vacation

days that many employers already oer, would

have an extremely or somewhat positive impact on

their wellbeing.

FIGURE 13

Americans Are Optimistic About the Impact of Employer Wellbeing Initiatives

If your employer did the following, what type of eect would it have on your wellbeing?

% Extremely positive % Somewhat positive % Neutral % Somewhat negative % Extremely negative

Note: Due to rounding, percentages may not equal 100%; numerals shown when ≥5%.

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Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report

“

The ‘War for Talent’ continues to intensify as

employees have (and exercise) much more

control over their mental, physical, nancial

and spiritual wellbeing and place new

requirements on employers to deliver a much

more employee-centric value proposition.”

— Reggie Van Lee, Partner and Chief

Transformation Ocer at Carlyle

Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report

Method ology