this post was submitted on 22 Mar 2025
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Summary

A Harris Poll revealed that 20% of Americans support boycotting companies aligning with Trump’s agenda, including major brands like Amazon, Target, and Tesla.

Boycotts are driven by dissatisfaction with companies rolling back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, with 46% citing DEI rollbacks as a reason.

Support for boycotts is stronger among younger, non-white, and Democratic demographics. Some boycotts, like the “Latino Freeze Movement” and religiously motivated Target boycotts, are coordinated within communities.

Companies cite legal pressures for DEI changes, while critics view it as a moral compromise.

all 40 comments
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[–] [email protected] 3 points 15 hours ago

It would be great if the number was 30%, but 20% is enough to wedge a company out of its position on the market. If they persist, this will work.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)
[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You will need another 80%.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 day ago* (last edited 54 minutes ago)

right? I read this and my first thought was "only 20?!"

[–] [email protected] 145 points 1 day ago (7 children)

That's a depressingly low number.

[–] [email protected] 54 points 1 day ago

Right? I thought that looked like some serious ideological, "but hurting business is too far!"-brainrot.

But the article is actually really confusing to me:

One in five Americans plan to turn their backs for good on companies that have shifted their policies to align with Donald Trump’s agenda, according to a new poll for the Guardian.

That means ~20% plan to boycott themselves, which is not necessarily the same as supporting a boycott. Participating != supporting. Not supporting would e.g. also potentially mean attacking people like the person with the sign in the article photo, or ruining a Thanksgiving dinner with a huge family argument. While supporting can also mean "I support the movement, but for this and that reason, don't participate myself" (that may be due to genuine dependence on some boycotted things, or just lack of motivation, or a feeling of not knowing how to, etc.).

Then the article goes on with a quote:

When 20% of Americans are permanently changing their consumption habits and nearly a third of boycotters say they’ll hold out indefinitely, convenience may no longer be the decisive factor companies think it is.

Again, that seems like 20% are actively boycotting, which is actually a pretty big number for a movement like that.

But then, there is another conflicting number just one paragraph away:

When asked about the boycotts that have been making headlines over the last few weeks, 36% of Americans said they are or will be participating.

So, wait, what? Why are the numbers so significantly different?

Last month, a Harris poll found that 31% of Americans have reported similar goals to “opt out” of the economy this year in light of the changing political climate.

Wait, that is yet another number, where are the 20% coming from even?

Also, I swear, maybe I am imagining it, but I think the article changed while I was typing this, because I remember wanting to structure an argument around them later using the "support" wording again, but now I can't find it any more. Maybe I was misreading, that happens to me at times, but it wouldn't be the first time a news outlet has changed an article while it was already live without a notice.

To anyone not wanting to click, here is the neat graphic with some more demographic info from the article:

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

It’s just a poll.

In reality the true number is even lower.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago

They forgot to account for the rest of the world which consumes more US goods than the American consumer

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 day ago (1 children)

So, reality check: in large parts of the US, particularly outside of major metro areas, there’s one (1) big store in reasonable distance. And sometimes it’s a “big” Dollar General, which means the community is dying, because that chain is a fucking vampire (Their model is to charge a a smaller amount of money for far less of whatever product they’re selling, so it ends up being wildly more expensive per unit volume. This almost always kills all the other stores in the area, because when everyone’s extremely poor and often not fantastically educated, they see cheaper and think “I spend less money” instead of accounting for the per-unit/volume pricing. So it’s a chain intentionally set up to make uncritical people think they’re saving money, but they’re actually being taken to the cleaners every single time they walk in).

Not making excuses for people who don’t give a shit - just pointing out that there are a LOT of places in the US where there literally isn’t any choice in the store you get your general household goods at.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago

Big reason behind how Walmart destroys communities. All the mom&pop stores can't compete and start going out of business. They either have to move or work at Walmart. Walmart pays shit so even if you wanted to you can't afford any remaining mom&pop. Then once you can't even buy at Walmart or try and fight for better pay and conditions, they just fucking leave and everyone is out of work and there's no stores to take on employees or customers.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I’m probably in a different percent that thinks it would be rather difficult to execute given the sheer number of companies in partnership with the agenda.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 day ago

Clearly it would, but IMO that's not a reason not to support the idea. Look what happened to Target. Better yet, look what happened to Costco at the same time.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

The headline is wildly misleading.
20% will continue to boycott companies permanently and 33% indefinitely, that support Trump now.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

It really highlights the problem with Democrats. There's this segment of this demographic that just fucking sucks and needs to die out (I see them as old, mushy people getting upset about words and trying to tell other people they can't buy big sodas).

[–] [email protected] 5 points 23 hours ago

So it would be helpful to have a full list of places to support. I can only think of Costco...

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Do not forgive. Do not forget. these companies, and their parent companies, need to end. they cannot be the next B&W mercedes or bayer. they need to be crushed or owned by the people. they cannot continue to be sources of profit for the scum that profits off them.

fascism must be a bad business decision.

feel free to still consume their stuff, but only if it's stolen.

[–] [email protected] 45 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It's really not that hard to boycott Amazon, at least their store. There's an entire Internet full of other shopping sites available. AWS is a different story though, since a huge chunk of the Internet runs on it and it's not easy to tell which online services use it.

[–] sloppychops 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I wonder if there's a way to block AWS? I've no idea how these things work, but surely there's some sort of signature that is readable and therefore blockable?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago

Problem is there is no telling what kind of backend microservices a website may be using unless you're literally a developer of the website. There are so many things AWS does besides just web hosting. You might be able to tell, for example, that some http server is using Apache or Nginx software, but there's no way to tell how the backend database or authentication systems do their thing.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I try to spend consciously and it's fucking depressing. The list of companies I avoid grows and grows and grows. If it isn't some antisocial billionaires throwing their weight around trying to get more money or change the world to better fit their vision with complete and utter disregard for normal people, it's pressure from the millionaires to increase share value so they can try to get their turn.

The need to increase profit, or more recently increase the rate of growth (the line that shows how fast the line goes up has been discovered so now that line needs to go up), has ruined everything.

If the company isn't completely, directly captured by these antisocial forces they are indirectly captured by the environment that is dominated by those same forces. Monopolies, anticompetitive business practices, hostile takeovers, vulture capitalists, ladder pulling, or just people strapped for cash that just buy whatever is cheaper regardless of the human cost involved.

Now everyone else is being squeezed and struggle to live a decent life or find dignity. Those responsible for this environment just use those struggling people. They'll redirect them to squeezing each other - scams, pyramid schemes, MLMs. They'll keep us fighting amongst ourselves - blame immigrants, minorities, DEI.

Now "AI" is continuing to get hyped and pushed even if it sucks at its job and demands insane amount of energy. It's way cheaper than people, or at least the cost is easier to pass on to others and it might be even cheaper eventually... so everyone is investing in it.

From an American perspective, it's just so much and I feel like things are only getting worse and fast.

[–] sloppychops 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It's the worst. Avoiding Pepsi, Coke, Nestlé seems impossible sometimes. I had to give up the masala chips that I like because it turns out they're a Pepsi front. Why are they allowed to just buy up everything?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 day ago

Because the only real law of human society is the Golden Rule.

i.e. He who holds the gold can make the rules.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Paywall

Misleading headline.
See [email protected] post that show even among Republicans it's 29%.

20% will do it permanently, meaning even if Democrats win by next election, they will continue to boycott companies the support Trump now.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 day ago

Yeah, was gonna say, these numbers sound cooked AF

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 day ago

Already started. Never go to Walmart For 10 years.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 day ago

Can’t wait till we do this with Nestle. Luigi their ass

[–] PerogiBoi 13 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Just really proves that the majority of Americans approve of Trump and his actions. Only 20% see what’s going on as an issue.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 day ago (3 children)

That doesn't mean 80% approve of Trump, it just means only 20% of those polled say they can or will boycott companies that may support the agenda. A lot of people don't think boycotts make a difference. And they don't unless a lot of people/dollars are involved.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 day ago

Crazy to me that a society which aggressively chases a system which claims to be held accountable by consumers cannot fathom how boycotts could make a difference. That’s part of the system doing its shitty thing, in a way, but yea under capitalism that’s really all you have and even then they’re throwing it away.

North Americans: We just love trying to find reasons why things that clearly work “definitely won’t work this time”.

[–] PerogiBoi 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

A lot of people don't think boycotts make a difference. And they don't unless a lot of people/dollars are involved.

Sounds like a really apathetic society if not even the easiest and lowest effort form of protest is deemed “not worth it”. Considering the most recent protests by Serbians, the Dutch, and the French; Americans are absolute cowards.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 day ago

80% approve of Trump
If you are not working against him, you are enabling him.

[–] kent_eh 10 points 1 day ago

It's a start.

I was worried that the Americans would just keep sitting on their hands like so many did during the last election.

[–] floofloof 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

“The data suggests this is a miscalculation,” she said. “When 20% of Americans are permanently changing their consumption habits and nearly a third of boycotters say they’ll hold out indefinitely, convenience may no longer be the decisive factor companies think it is.”

So that's about 6% who plan to boycott for as long as needed. 94% don't. It's a start, but it sounds like convenience is still a pretty decisive factor for Americans.

Edit: I may have misread the statistics and been too pessimistic.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

How did you get from a third will do it for as long as it takes, to just 6%?
20% will do it permanently, meaning even if Democrats win by next election, they will continue to boycott companies that support Trump now.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

They read it as a third of 20% (with 20% of all Americans boycotting), meaning 6% of all Americans.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

OK that's an understandable mistake, but not what the article states according to the quotes that have been posted.

Obviously "permanent" 20% (no end) is longer than "Indefinitely" 33% (meaning it's to be decided, possibly ending when no longer necessary).