Companies hoping the market unrest around social justice issues will just go away are in for a surprise. New, scientific data published by Porter Novelli shows that consumers are now demanding that companies and organizations speak up in an authentic way.

In the past, many companies have tried to avoid controversial topics that dominate headlines. Now, the research shows consumers want brands to take real, measurable action to address these issues. Interestingly, consumers now also say that simply talking about these issues is not enough, but rather action must be demonstrated. In short, it is no longer enough to post a sympathetic statement to social media and call it good. Taking action has become a real business mandate.

Key survey findings Include:

• 71% of US consumers believe companies have more responsibility than ever before to address social justice issues.
• 56% say companies that do not talk about social justice issues in their marketing or communications are out of touch.
• 80% say they wish more companies would be honest about their past mistakes or biases in addressing or talking about race.
• 74% think a company can be known for supporting one, specific issue (i.e. medical research, affordable housing), but that doesn’t mean it can ignore social justice issues.

The full survey is found here.