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Detailed Findinu -h Other variables on which boycott participation can be examined in this study include political variables and attitudes toward business. Those who generally approved of how Reagan was handling his job were slightly less likely to boycott companies (9.4 %) than those who disapproved of Reagan's efforts (14.6%). Differences among political party preference were less marked, with Republicans (13.1 %) slightly more likely to have boycotted than either Democrats (10. S%)' or Independents (12.5 %). This survey also asked consumers for their views regarding business. The question asked whether people in big business and on Wall Street had become more or less greedy than five years earlier. Four-out-of-five said they were more greedy at present than five years earlier. Only 5% said less greedy and 8% said there had been no change. Those who said greed had increased had the average boycott rate. Those few who said greed had decreased were less likely to be bovcotters (8.3 %), while those who said things had not changed were most likely to be boycotters (15.3%). BUSINESS WEEK SURVEY Among the more recent and most interesting surveys on attitudes and actions taken toward business was one sponsored by Business Week and conducted by Lou Harris in May 1989. The survey asked a number of questions about business practices and consumer activities directed at business. Among these were one hypothetical question on actions as ways of protesting corporate activities and another on actions actually taken. Business Week asked the following hypothetical question: 'If you believed a corporation was doing something bad for society, which of these things rlo you think you would be willing to do to stop it?'

Detailed Findings The following table gives the responses offered as part of the question and the percent of positive responses for each: Response Choices Percent * Boycott a company's products 76 Write to head of company 56 Contribute money to opposing group 21 Attend protest rally 21 Picket company headquarters 14 Interfere with company operations 6 Sabotage company operations 1 *Addt to more than 100 due to multiplt responses Obviously there is a. wide discrepancy between these numbers resulting from a hypothetical question and those we have already seen that ask about past behavior. Responses to this question should probably be seen as indicating what American consumers believe would be appropriate behavior given the situation posed, rather than what they would actually do. To a certain extent these numbers reflect the difference between behavior and intention, which in this case demonstrates a large gap. The question does not take into account all of the complexities of a real situation. It presumes that the consumer is informed about the problem, that products for boycott can be identified, that they are sold where the consumer makes purchases, that alternative products are available or that he could easily do without the product entirely, and that the consumer would otherwise purchase the product. Rather than giving any real indication of what people would actually do, the question tells us that there is general widespread approval for the idea of consumer boycotts. Similarly, the other items represent consumer approval of these types of behaviors in general, rather than tendencies to act. The order in which the responses are displayed also suggests the presence of a convenience factor, those items with the largest percentages are those which generally require the 0 least effort on the part of the consumer. N W ' CO M+ W ~ Burson-Marsteller Q