While "brand purpose" becomes a familiar marketing language, new data from Statista Consumer Insights suggests that public appetite for corporate activism is both real and selective. Across the United Kingdom, United States and Germany, respondents are most comfortable with companies taking a stance on issues that feel close to everyday life, while geopolitics remains rather a red line.
In the U.K., mental health tops the list (64 percent), narrowly ahead of climate change (63 percent). It is followed by diversity, equity & inclusion (58 percent) and free speech (56 percent). In the United States, the ranking shifts: free speech leads (60 percent), with mental health (59 percent) and climate change (57 percent) close behind. Germany stands out for its relatively stronger emphasis on climate change (56 percent) and free speech (54 percent), while support for brand commentary on mental health and diversity, equity & inclusion sits just below 50 percent. On one point, the three markets align: international conflicts draw the least support everywhere, from 37 percent in the U.K. to 35 percent in the U.S. and 32 percent in Germany, hinting that consumers may welcome values-led messaging, but still prefer brands to stay cautious when the stakes become explicitly geopolitical.
