Americans expect stronger corporate leadership on social issues, with mental health emerging as the nation’s defining priority

Americans are calling on companies to do more. That’s the central message from this year’s Corporate Social Action Tracker from Carol Cone ON PURPOSE (CCOP) and The Harris Poll. Now in its second year tracking Americans’ opinions in the current political and economic environment, the research reveals growing expectations that business should take a decisive role shaping solutions to social challenges, particularly those that affect people’s daily lives and personal wellbeing.

More than half of Americans (51%) say companies should play a larger role in addressing social change, up from 46% in 2024. This rise is fueled by Gen Z (59%), Millennials (55%), urban residents (59%), and Democrats (65%) with notable momentum among Republicans, whose support jumped 27% year-over-year (33% in 2024 and 42% in 2025).

Fielded November 6–10, 2025, among 2,087 U.S. adults, the survey asked Americans about the issues they prioritize most and how they want companies to show up. The findings illustrate a nation confronting profound stressors and turning to the private sector for steadier, more consistent leadership. Americans are hungry for companies to help fill gaps left by shifting government priorities and increasingly fragile social systems.

Health and hunger relief rise in importance, reflecting the stark state of our nation

Respondents were asked to select the issues most important to them personally (excluding inflation and immigration). Their responses revealed core priorities across political affiliation, age, income, education, and geography.

Mental health support remains the nation’s top priority—and its emotional heartbeat.

For the second consecutive year, mental health support is the nation’s top priority, rising from 31% in 2024 to 34% this year. This growth reflects a country grappling with sustained emotional strain. National data reinforce this urgency: the U.S. Surgeon General has identified mental health—and particularly loneliness and youth wellbeing—as critical public health threats, underscoring the depth and breadth of the crisis affecting families, communities, and workplaces nationwide.

This context gives mental health a unique and urgent moral weight. No longer a “niche” issue or a benefit add-on, it is a national barometer of stability and humanity. When mental health rises to the top across demographic groups, it underscores a profound truth: Americans feel stretched, stressed, and often alone and they expect employers and companies to show up with empathy, innovation, and action.

Hunger relief and other basic needs surge

Hunger relief and nutrition saw the most substantial year-over-year increase, jumping from 24% in 2024 to 32% this year, driven in part by the federal government shutdown and disruptions to SNAP benefits during the fielding period. The sudden rise reveals just how brittle many families’ access to food remains.

Other foundational needs also grew significantly, including care for seniors (29%) and curing and treating diseases (28%). Together, these increases paint a picture of a country deeply concerned about personal wellbeing, access to basic services, and the stability of daily life.

These results reinforce that Americans, regardless of political affiliation or demographic background, continue to center their priorities around fundamental human needs: health, safety, dignity, and stability.

A shifting social issue landscape: environment declines while education rises

To understand broader patterns, the 23 issues were grouped into thematic categories. The net importance scores reveal the relative weight of need areas:

• Health and Wellbeing: 75%

• Education and Digital Literacy: 47%

• Family and Social Support: 47%

• Environment and Sustainability: 37%

• Equity and Rights: 33%

• Workforce and Economic Development: 21%

• Innovation and Technology: 16%

While health continues to dominate, powered by mental health as the epicenter of public concern, environmental issues have softened, declining to 37% from 42% in 2024. This shift mirrors the emotional recalibration happening nationwide. When people’s daily lives feel precarious, the immediate eclipses the existential. The environment remains important, but it competes with urgent personal stressors, especially mental strain and economic uncertainty.

Meanwhile, education and digital literacy rose, propelled by increasing concern about media literacy, children’s online safety, and navigating an increasingly chaotic information ecosystem. In an era defined by misinformation and the rapid acceleration of AI, Americans want tools to help them think critically, protect their families, and maintain agency over their decisions.

Income shapes priorities in predictable—but profound—ways

Lower-income Americans (earning under $50K annually) place significantly higher importance on basic needs such as hunger relief (36%) and care for seniors (37%). Their lived reality underscores a broader truth: for many, corporate action is not ideological, but practical, urgent, and personal. It is about survival.

A divided nation, yet clear guideposts for corporate social action

Even as political divides deepen, Americans overwhelmingly agree on what companies should prioritize.

Majorities across demographics believe companies should:

• Support issues important to employees: 84%

• Address big national challenges such as healthcare and jobs: 81%

• Invest in local community needs: 81%

• Communicate more transparently about values and corporate responsibility: 79%

A notable shift emerged among Republicans: 42% now say companies should do more to address social issues, up 27% year-over-year. This convergence across political lines reflects a shared reality: Americans increasingly see business as a stabilizing force amid government volatility.

Even where differences persist, such as Republicans’ stronger preference to support social issues related to business operations (72%), there is unmistakable alignment on core priorities: health, family stability, mental wellbeing, education, and workforce needs.

Employee insights: opportunities to strengthen trust

A new dimension in the 2025 study explored employed Americans’ satisfaction with their employers’ performance. Employees report highest satisfaction with being treated fairly (44%) and maintaining work–life balance (41%). Yet deeper engagement indicators lag significantly:

• Transparency in communications: 21% 

• Providing volunteer opportunities: 14%

• Enhancing the local environment: 10%

• Enhancing the national environment: 10%

These findings reveal a critical insight: employees today are looking not only for stability, but for meaning, trust, and alignment between what their companies say and what they do. With mental health as the nation’s top concern, employees are increasingly attuned to whether their employers support emotional wellbeing through culture, policy, workload, benefits, and leadership behavior. Companies that fall short risk reputational harm internally and externally.

The road ahead: why corporate action matters now more than ever

The research paints a clear, urgent picture: Americans expect business to lead, especially where government is absent, under-resourced, or gridlocked.

What stands out most in this year’s data is the emotional tenor of the nation. Mental health’s rise to the top is not a trend: it is a declaration. It signals a society struggling to cope with cumulative pressures, seeking compassion, clarity, and constancy from institutions they can still trust.

For companies, this is a defining moment. The organizations that respond with authenticity, invest in long-term solutions, and place people and their mental wellbeing at the center of their organizations, will not only meet public expectation; they will shape a more resilient and humane future.

In today’s polarized climate, corporate leadership on social issues is not optional. It is foundational to reputation, resilience, workforce loyalty, and long-term value creation. Companies that embrace this responsibility with intention and courage will be the ones that earn the trust and admiration of a nation looking for leaders.

Methodology

The 2025 survey was conducted online in the United States by The Harris Poll for Carol Cone ON PURPOSE from November 6–10, 2025, among 2,087 adults (±2.5 percentage points, 95% credible interval). Results are trended to the 2024 CCOP/Harris Poll where applicable and weighted for national representation.

The Corporate Social Action Tracker aimed to understand which issues Americans consider most important today and how they believe companies should respond. The full research can be found here. The study, which accounted for respondent age, income, education, political affiliation, region, and race/ethnicity, presented respondents with 23 distinct social issues, which excluded  immigration and inflation from their prioritization of issues.

About Carol Cone ON PURPOSE

Carol Cone ON PURPOSE is a pioneering consultancy helping companies, brands, and organizations harness the power of social purpose to advance their business and social impact. CCOP's proven approach meets clients at any point on their purpose journey to unlock opportunities to build reputation, inspire employees, exceed financial targets, and support the greater good. The consultancy is led by Carol Cone, regarded as one of the founders of the purpose movement and has been internationally recognized for her work.

About The Harris Poll

The Harris Poll is one of the longest running surveys in the U.S. tracking public opinion, motivations and social sentiment since 1963 that is now part of Harris Insights & Analytics, a global consulting and market research firm that delivers social intelligence for transformational times. We work with clients in three primary areas; building twenty-first-century corporate reputation, crafting brand strategy and performance tracking, and earning organic media through public relations research. Our mission is to provide insights and advisory to help leaders make the best decisions possible.