Diving brief:
- The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade earlier this year impacted the buying habits of 25% of respondents to a survey from Mindshare and GroupM, according to details shared with Marketing Dive.
- “The Women’s Rights and Body Autonomy Study” found that 51% of women, 54% of men, and 62% of non-binary people said they didn’t trust brand claims about historic abortion and reproductive health access decision, believing brands are only one vying for attention.
- More than 50% of Gen Zers and 40% of Millennials want brands to work with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and abortion access groups, reflecting the need for brands to support consumers when discussing this divisive subject.
Overview of the dive:
The quashing of Roe v. Wade by the United States Supreme Court in June had far-reaching ramifications. The survey found that 86% of women surveyed agreed that being able to make their own decisions about their body, health and sex life is a basic human right. That sentiment was shared by the majority of white (58%), black (75%) and Hispanic (71%) men, who said the decision set back women and those with wombs.
In the world of advertising, questions about how and whether to respond to the decision have rocked brands, with many start-up funds or start-up services for consumers and employees. A survey by Mindshare and GroupM found that for many consumers, a company’s stance on Roe v. Wade could alter the consumer-brand relationship.
A key takeaway is that a significant number of respondents said they were changing their purchasing decisions due to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, with LGBTQ people (43%), Hispanic men (41%) and non-binary people (46%) being the most likely to say they were changing their shopping habits because of the decision. Thirty-four percent of women surveyed said they would stop buying from a brand if its CEO made regressive statements about bodily autonomy. This figure rose to 41% for multiracial/mixed race women and 38% for LGBTQ people.
When asked if brands should support employee bodily autonomy through an organizational policy, 41% of women said yes, while 62% of non-binary people agreed.
The survey results reflect the growing sentiment that brands should take action on political issues, as well as the fine line they walk while doing so. While many brands may be reluctant to get political, the reversal of Roe v. Wade makes it harder and harder. Mobile location data, which marketers rely on for consumer behavior data, came under intense scrutiny in the wake of the June ruling as some feared it could be passed on to law enforcement in states with abortion restrictions. Immediately afterwards, the agencies reported customers were more cautious with their advertisements, while some brands, such as those that sell contraceptives, increase in expenses in the period after.
Advertising is not the only sector affected by this decision. Sixty-seven percent of respondents said the media played a significant role in spreading misinformation about the Roe v. Wade. Additionally, 57% of Gen Z respondents indicated that they believe social media creators talk about bodily autonomy in a more progressive way than mainstream media.
“The study on women’s rights and bodily autonomy” was carried out with GroupM/Choreograph’s Audience Origin platform and is based on a survey of 2,169 people. Fieldwork was conducted August 5-25 in English and Spanish. The results were presented during a session at Advertising Week on Tuesday.