Supermarket Wal-Mart is suffering from an increasingly negative image, according to pollsters Zogby International.
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A national survey of American adults, conducted by Zogby International, indicates that 38% of American adults now hold an unfavourable opinion of Wal-Mart. The results of the poll also found that a clear majority of the American public (55 %) have a less favourable opinion of Wal-Mart based on what they have recently seen, heard, or read.
The poll, commissioned by WakeUpWalMart.com, explored the extent to which, if any, the American people are engaging in the Wal-Mart debate. It measured changing perceptions about Wal-Mart and whether or not it is affecting consumer behaviour.
In terms of favourability, Americans hold very different opinions of Wal-Mart and Target. Interestingly, 73% of respondents hold a favourable opinion of Target versus 13% who hold an unfavourable opinion, while 58% of respondents hold a favourable opinion of Wal-Mart versus 38% who hold an unfavourable opinion.
In terms of Wal-Mart’s favourability, the poll suggests that recent news events have contributed to a clear majority of Americans holding a less favourable opinion of Wal-Mart. By more than a 2 to 1 margin, 55% of adults hold a less favourable opinion of Wal-Mart based on what they have seen, read or heard in the last few months versus 22% who hold a more favourable opinion of Wal-Mart based on the same events.
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By GlobalDataRespondents said they also think, by a three-to-one margin, that Wal-Mart has suffered a national blow to its image because of the news events over the last year.
And compared to one year ago, a large majority of Americans (65%) agree that Wal-Mart has a more negative public image now than compared to last year, while 28% disagreed. In contrast, and just as a baseline comparison, only 14% of Americans believe that Target’s public image is more negative, while 55% disagreed.
The debate about whether or not Wal-Mart is good or bad for America is occurring. In a comparison of two statements, just over 39% of Americans agreed that Wal-Mart is “good for America” (statement A) while 56% agreed that “Wal-Mart is bad for America” (statement B).
Statement A – I believe that Wal-Mart is good for America. It provides low prices and saves consumers money every day.
Statement B – I believe that Wal-Mart is bad for America. It may provide low prices, but these prices come with a high moral and economic cost for consumers.
Further results indicate that 6 in 10 American adults believe that Wal-Mart is seen as a retail monopoly that threatens the American economy. 63% of Americans agree that the impact of the Wal-Mart business model should be investigated by our nation’s elected political leaders.
