Walmart vs. Target: A Political Divide Among Shoppers

When it comes to consumer preferences between Wal-mart Stores Inc. and Target Corp., party doesn’t matter: Most people choose Walmart, regardless of their political leanings. But Walmart is more popular among Republican shoppers, while Target does better with Democrats, according to Morning Consult’s Most Polarizing Brands in America data.

The data, which is based on more than 17,000 U.S. consumer surveys about each company from October through December, shows Walmart’s favorability leans Republican by 14 points, with a 69 percent net favorability, compared to 55 among Democrats.

Target’s favorability, on the other hand, leans Democratic, by 18 points, with 71 percent net favorability compared to 53 percent among Republicans.

The differences between the two groups of consumers are attributable to the locations of the companies’ stores and the demographics of their headquarters’ locations, according to Neil Howe, managing director of demography at the risk management firm Hedgeye and president of Saeculum Research, a trend forecaster.

“Walmart has a certain clientele: Their center of gravity compared to Target is a bit lower income, a bit more rural, a bit more red zone culturally, and a bit older” — and that demographic tends to vote Republican, Howe said in a Jan. 17 interview.

Stef Woods, an American University professor who studies behavior, culture and marketing, said in a Jan. 17 phone interview that Target stores are primarily located in metropolitan areas, which tend to lean Democratic.

Howe said that Target has also “always polled very well in brand attractiveness for millennials,” who tend to vote Democratic while they’re young.

In a separate Morning Consult poll of 2,201 adults, conducted Jan. 11-16, consumers who said they prefer Target were more likely to back progressive political stances, while Walmart customers were less staunch in comparison on conservative positions.