Poll Suggests Almost Half Want Advertisers To 'Take A Stand'

New polling shows that adults in the key 18-49 demographic are likely to be more forgiving of advertisers that air ads during programs or on networks associated with controversial comments or actions. However, those in the 50+ demo — an important group for Fox News, which has sparked recent brand safety concerns — may not forgive and forget as easily.

The April 4-7 Morning Consult/Hollywood Reporter survey of 2,200 adults found that 59 percent of respondents in the 50+ demographic said companies should take a stand by removing their advertisements from shows when hosts say or do something controversial or offensive. Less than half (49 percent) of those ages 18-49, a key demographic for advertisers, said the same. The poll’s margin of error is 2 percentage points, while the margin of error for the 50+ and 18-49 subgroups is 3 percentage points.

The poll comes after Fox News, whose median viewer in 2017 was age 65, according to Adweek citing Nielsen data, had multiple brands pull advertisements from programs hosted by Tucker Carlson and Jeanine Pirro following controversial comments.

Forty-six percent of the 18-49 demographic said they would be less likely to purchase a product or service from a brand airing an ad during a news or talk show when a news anchor or a TV personality makes a racist statement, 7 percentage points less than the 53 percent of those 50+ who felt the same way.

Both groups were most forgiving of remarks made by television characters, with 22 percent of those 18-49 saying they would be less likely to buy a product if a brand advertised during a show where a character makes a controversial statement, and 33 percent of those 50+ sharing the sentiment.

The 50+ demographic was also more likely to oppose brands making social statements in their advertising, with a 64 percent majority saying that ads should not make social statements, compared to 45 percent of those ages 18-49.