Disney More Polarizing Than Twitter, Pfizer, and Facebook

The Walt Disney Company has been in the news a lot over the past year. Whether one agrees or disagrees with their decision to dump Bob Chapek, bring back Bob Iger, push back against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, or double down on live-action remakes, much of their press could have been better.

Disney used to be a company on the sidelines and was once enjoyed by most Americans regardless of political affiliation, geographic location, or social and religious beliefs. Not that they haven’t gotten involved in a few controversies over the past 100 years – what company hasn’t?

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A Change in Disney’s Reputation

However, a recent Axios Harris Poll conducted yearly since 2014 has shown a massive shift in how the American public views Disney. The ongoing battle with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (among other things) seems to have caused the reputation of the company to plummet a dozen spots in their reputation. Furthermore, it lists the company as number six on the list of polarizing companies. To put this in perspective, the top 10 most polarizing companies are the following:

1. Trump Organization
2. Fox Corporation
3. Hobby Lobby
4. FTX
5. The Walt Disney Co.
6. Pfizer
7. Facebook (Meta)
8. TikTok
9. Twitter
10. Chick-fil-A

The Disney Company has seen a slight rise in favorability among people who describe themselves as Democrats but saw a significant drop in people who describe themselves as Republicans.

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 “The lesson here is that when you divide you subtract,” said Harris Poll CEO John Gerzema. “When you divide audiences, you’re ultimately going to be subtracting customers for your business.”

According to the report from Axios, 42% of Republicans said their feelings about Disney grew more negative over the past year, compared with 12% of Democrats. In addition, only 46% of Republicans would describe the company as family-oriented.

What Now?

It is also worth noting that politics is only one of the issues that can affect a brand’s reputation. Separate from the conflict with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Disney has had previous pushback over doing business with China, fans losing interest in the studio’s movies, and Guests upset over cost-cutting measures in the theme parks.

RELATED: Disney’s Bob Iger Threatens Florida

When Bob Iger returned as CEO about six months ago, many people expected Disney’s fortunes to turn around. Although some changes have happened within the organization, the past six months have seen the feud with Governor Ron DeSantis escalate, 7,000 Cast Member be laid off, the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser close up, and the Lake Nona project in Central Florida be canceled.

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Whatever Disney’s plan for the future is, they need to figure it out as soon as possible. The hole they may be digging could take a generation for the company to escape.