A new report has suggested that political affiliation is having increasingly limited influence on conscious consumerism and sustainable shopping behaviour in North America, despite arguments to the contrary.
As Public Inc’s 2026 Conscious Consumer Report, produced in partnership with Ipsos and Engage for Good, found, social and environmental considerations influenced 40% of purchase decisions in the US and Canada, up from 38% last year.
This increase comes amid intensifying political pushback around ESG and corporate purpose in the US, not to mention inflation and heightened price sensitivity.
‘Normalised behaviour’
“Ethical shopping is not a niche preference,” commented Phil Haid, founder and CEO, Public Inc. “It’s becoming a normalised purchasing driver. The backlash narrative has been loud and constant, but consumer behavior continues to tell a different story and brands should pay attention.”
The report seeks to dispel what it calls ‘the myth of the woke shopper’, arguing that values-driven purchasing transcends income and political affiliation.
It suggests that sustainable shopping behaviour ‘does not correlate consistently with wealth’, with ethical purchasing behaviours evident across all segments – as it notes, so-called ‘Sustainability Stewards’, i.e. those that show the highest engagement with ESG-related issues, are also among the most price sensitive.
Democrats and Republicans
The study also found that conscious consumerism in the US is only marginally more associated with Democrats than Republicans, with values-driven purchasing increasingly spanning party lines.
‘Conservatives shop sustainably too,’ as the report puts it. ‘The implication is clear: the conscious consumer is not ideological. It is mainstream.’
A similar study undertaken last year indicated that confusion was the biggest barrier to conscious consumerism, with close to half of shoppers ‘walking away’ from products with confusing environmental claims, or 87% of the most conscious shoppers.
In the latest study, researchers tested revised messaging, focusing on the direct and immediate benefits to consumers – a ‘me now’ framing. The results showed higher engagement with these revised claims, with positive growth in 71% of tested consumable product claims and 67% of wearable product claims.
Confidence gap
With increased political and cultural scrutiny around ESG, a gap between consumer interest and trust is evident, compounding ‘greenhushing’ narratives and the suggestion that responsible businesses are less engaged, Public Inc noted.
Some 62% of respondents said that they were ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ interested in learning about a company’s ESG actions, indicating a strong consumer appetite, however close to three quarters report ‘low’ or ‘no’ trust in business impact communications.
“If brands are worried about how to speak to divided audiences, this data is clarifying,” Haid added. “The claims that resonate most unify consumers rather than polarise them.”
The study is based on a survey of more than 2,100 adults in the United States and Canada, and was conducted online in October 2025. Read more here.
