Disney Reputation Takes Major Hit, According to New Survey

Disney has been facing a number of challenges in recent months and it’s not going unnoticed by the general public.

©Disney

From the departure of its previous CEO (and the return of Bob Iger) to losses in the streaming world and an ongoing battle with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, it seems the battles never end. And now we’re getting a better idea of just how some of those battles may be impacting Disney’s reputation.

Back in 2022, an Axios Harris Poll revealed that Disney’s reputation was falling fast. In fact, that year Disney dropped 28 spots compared to its position last year and was one of the fastest droppers for 2022. In May of 2023, we shared how another study listed Disney as the 9th best global brand of 2022 — having been beaten out by Amazon, Google, and others.

So what’s happening now? Well, it’s not looking all that great for Disney.

Disney World

Axios has released its 2023 Axios Harris Poll 100 reputation rankings and Disney has NOT improved compared to last year. For context, the 2023 rankings are based on a survey of over 16,000 Americans from a “nationally representative sample” obtained from March 13th-28th.

Americans are asked which 2 companies “stand out as having the best reputation today and which two have the worst. All nominations are compiled into an aggregate list to determine the ‘most visible’ companies.” The Respondents rate the 100 most visible companies on a few different dimensions of reputation, and then that’s used to calculate the reputational score.

Disney World

Then, another set of respondents answer questions about topics related to brands and politics (that survey was conducted online in May with a sample of just over 2,000 adults). Okay, enough about the technicalities let’s get to the results.

In 2022, Disney ranked 65th on the Axios Harris reputation list. In 2023, Disney has DROPPED to spot number 77. In 2022 they had a drop of 28 spots, this year it was a drop of 12 spots — so that is at least a less intense drop, but a drop nonetheless. Disney finds itself below brands like Taco Bell and Uber but above Walmart and Bank of America.

©Axios Harris Poll

All the way at the top of the reputation list are Patagonia, Costco, John Deere, and Trader Joe’s. At the bottom are Twitter, Fox Corporation, FTX, and (in last place) The Trump Organization.

According to an Axios breakdown of the results, “The Walt Disney Company took a big hit” this year “after tangling with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over students’ LGBTQ+ rights.” You can see in the chart below just how much Disney has risen and fallen since 2014.

©Axios Harris Poll

According to Axios, not only has Disney fallen in terms of reputation ranking, but Disney was also ranked the 5th “most polarizing brand of 100” in the survey “measured by the gap between the assessments of Republican and Democratic respondents.”

Among Democrats, Disney’s reputational score actually improved a few points (Democrats actually reported feeling MORE positive about Disney this year), but the score “plunged” with Republicans. The average gap in scores between Democrats and Republicans this year in the survey was 4.4 — Disney’s gap was 19.3. Axios pointed out that Disney’s reputational score has been declining since 2017 but that had been bipartisan…until this year.

EPCOT

Around 35% of Republicans (and 19% of Democrats) said Disney has become “less authentic and more divisive.” While 63% of Democrats (and only 46% of Republicans) described Disney as “family-oriented.”

Disney has actually “lost momentum across each of nine attributes measured in the Axios Haris 100 poll.” Its biggest declines were in citizenship (where people share if the company shares their values or supports good causes) and perceptions of future growth.

Pandora

In terms of Disney’s scores across the dimensions Axios asks about, it scored the highest on products & services, trajectory, vision, and growth. It scored the lowest on citizenship, character, and ethics.

©Axios Harris Poll

Harris Poll CEO John Gerzema shared, “When you divide audiences, you’re ultimately going to be subtracting customers for your business.” One big issue may have been Disney’s change in handling the Parental Rights in Education issue in Florida. While then-CEO Bob Chapek initially refused to issue a statement on the matter, he later changed his mind and did issue a statement against the bill.

Gerzema shared that, unlike other brands that have already identified with specific policy views, Disney “didn’t have a track record for speaking out on this issue,” and then came to the issue “late” and changed its mind.

EPCOT

Ultimately, the most politically polarizing companies this year were the Trump Organization, Fox Corporation, Hobby Lobby, FTX, Disney, Pfizer, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, and Chik-fil-A.

Only time will tell whether the changes being made by current CEO Bob Iger will set Disney on a path to improve its reputational ranking in the future. But, considering that the Company’s reputation has been dropping since 2017 (a time at which Iger was already CEO and Disney was not caught in the middle of its current battle with DeSantis), improving Disney’s reputational ranking might be tougher than some might think.

Haunted Mansion in Disney World

For more on the current battle between Disney and DeSantis, click here. And stay tuned for more news.

Click Here to See 10 Controversial Things Bob Iger Has Said About Disney’s Alleged ‘Woke Agenda’

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