Even as support for gun control legislation remains overwhelmingly high in the polls, there are consequences for businesses that decide to cut ties with the NRA, a new Morning Consult poll has found. Rental car companies like Enterprise, Alamo, and National all saw their unfavorability ratings more than double when people were told about the companies' decision to end NRA discounts after the Parkland, Florida, high school shooting.
Likewise, insurance company MetLife Inc. had a 45 percent favorable rating and a 12 percent unfavorable rating before survey participants learned it ended its discount for NRA members. Afterwards, the unfavorable rating doubled to 24 percent, although the favorable rating went unchanged.
Lynda Maddox of the George Washington University School of Business told Morning Consult that brands' decisions could be designed to attract a particular demographic, like millennials. Added Mimi Chakravorti, who serves as the executive director of brand consultant Landor: "Brands are being held to a higher standard than they have been in the past. People are making decisions on the brands that they choose to affiliate with based on how brands behave."
The Morning Consult poll reached 2,201 adults between Feb. 23-25, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 points. Read more about the results here.