CEO activism: Stakeholder reactions to different issues

About the research project

Title: CEOs in the midst of activism: Assessing CEO Sociopolitical Messaging

Team: Prof. Dr. Sabine Einwiller, Vanja Bojanic (University of Vienna)

Project duration: December 2023 – June 2024

Today, companies and their CEOs are expected to speak out on critical societal issues such as discrimination, diversity, or environmental protection. More and more CEOs are publicly taking a stand. The success of CEO activism depends not only on the message being conveyed but also on how it is communicated.

This research project by the University of Vienna will examine how reactions to CEO activism vary depending on the type of issue, the tone, and the form of engagement. Understanding this will provide companies with insights into how far activist CEOs inspire constructive discussions or whether they exacerbate disputes in times of continued polarized politics and society.

Methodology

Study objective: The objective of this research project is to investigate the preferences of the general public regarding CEOs taking a stance on sociopolitical issues.

Research question: To what extent do the thematic context, communication style and form of engagement influence public preferences regarding CEOs’ statements on sociopolitical matters?

Methodology: The core of this study is a choice-experiment, more precisely, conjoint analysis where participants rate their preferences for various statements made by CEOs on sociopolitical topics. This analysis enables a systematic comparison of preferences across a range of issues (for example, sustainability, LGBTQ+ rights, migration), different communication styles (such as formal, social, expressive-charismatic) and varying  forms of engagement (activism vs. advocacy). Essentially, the study aims to understand which communicative approaches are most effective for CEOs when publicly positioning themselves on significant societal issues.

The study is planned to be conducted with a representative sample of the German population, approximately 800 individuals.

Research results are expected for mid 2024.