TriplePundit • Americans Expect Stronger Corporate Leadership on Social Issues, Especially Mental Health

A version of this article was originally published at Carol Cone on Purpose.

Americans are calling on companies to do more. That’s the central message from this year’s Corporate Social Action Tracker study from the social purpose consultancy Carol Cone On Purpose and consulting and market research firm The Harris Poll. Now in its second year tracking Americans’ opinions in the current political and economic environment, the research reveals growing expectations that business should take a decisive role shaping solutions to social challenges, particularly those that affect people’s daily lives and personal wellbeing.

More than half of Americans (51 percent) say companies should play a larger role in addressing social change, up from 46 percent in 2024. This rise is fueled by Gen Z (59 percent), millennials (55 percent), urban residents (59 percent), and Democrats (65 percent) with notable momentum among Republicans, whose support increased from 33 percent in 2024 to 42 percent in 2025.

Fielded early last month among 2,087 adults in the United States, the survey asked Americans about the issues they prioritize most and how they want companies to show up. The findings illustrate a nation confronting profound stressors and turning to the private sector for steadier, more consistent leadership. Americans are hungry, literally and figuratively, for companies to help fill gaps left by shifting government priorities and increasingly fragile social systems.

Health and hunger relief rise in importance, reflecting the stark state of our nation

Respondents were asked to select the issues most important to them personally (excluding inflation and immigration). Their responses revealed core priorities across political affiliation, age, income, education and geography.

Mental health support remains the nation’s top priority — and its emotional heartbeat

For the second consecutive year, mental health support is the nation’s top priority, rising from 31 percent to 34 percent. This growth reflects a country grappling with sustained emotional strain. National data reinforce this urgency: The U.S. Surgeon General has identified mental health — and particularly loneliness and youth wellbeing — as critical public health threats, underscoring the depth and breadth of the crisis affecting families, communities and workplaces nationwide.

This context gives mental health a unique and urgent moral weight. No longer a “niche” issue or a benefit add-on, it is a national barometer of stability and humanity. When mental health rises to the top across demographic groups, it underscores a profound truth: Americans feel stretched, stressed, and often alone, and they expect employers and companies to show up with empathy, innovation and action.

Hunger relief and other basic needs surge

Hunger relief and nutrition saw the most substantial year-over-year increase, jumping from 24 percent to 32 percent, driven in part by the federal government shutdown and disruptions to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits during the fielding period. The sudden rise reveals just how brittle many families’ access to food remains.

Other foundational needs also grew significantly, including care for seniors (29 percent) and curing and treating diseases (28 percent). Together, these increases paint a picture of a country deeply concerned about personal wellbeing, access to basic services and the stability of daily life.

These results reinforce that Americans, regardless of political affiliation or demographic background, continue to center their priorities around fundamental human needs: health, safety, dignity and stability.

A shifting social issue landscape: environment declines while education rises

To understand broader patterns, the 23 issues were grouped into thematic categories. The net importance scores reveal the relative weight of need areas:

• Health and Wellbeing: 75 percent
• Education and Digital Literacy: 47 percent
• Family and Social Support: 47 percent
• Environment and Sustainability: 37 percent
• Equity and Rights: 33 percent
• Workforce and Economic Development: 21 percent
• Innovation and Technology: 16 percent

While health continues to dominate, powered by mental health as the epicenter of public concern, environmental issues have softened, declining to 37 percent from 42 percent in 2024. This shift mirrors the emotional recalibration happening nationwide. When people’s daily lives feel precarious, the immediate eclipses the existential. The environment remains important, but it competes with urgent personal stressors, especially mental strain and economic uncertainty.

Meanwhile, education and digital literacy rose, propelled by increasing concern about media literacy, children’s online safety and navigating an increasingly chaotic information ecosystem. In an era defined by misinformation and the rapid acceleration of artificial intelligence, Americans want tools to help them think critically, protect their families and maintain agency over their decisions.

Income shapes priorities in predictable — but profound — ways

Lower-income Americans (earning under $50,000 annually) place significantly higher importance on basic needs such as hunger relief (36 percent) and care for seniors (37 percent). Their lived reality underscores a broader truth: For many, corporate action is not ideological, but practical, urgent and personal. It is about survival.

A divided nation, yet clear guideposts for companies

Even as political divides deepen, Americans overwhelmingly agree on what companies should prioritize. Majorities across demographics believe companies should: support issues important to employees (84 percent), address big national challenges such as healthcare and jobs (81 percent), invest in local community needs (81 percent), and communicate more transparently about values and corporate responsibility (79 percent).

A notable shift emerged among Republicans: 42 percent now say companies should do more to address social issues, up 27 percent year-over-year. This convergence across political lines reflects a shared reality: Americans increasingly see business as a stabilizing force amid government volatility.

Even where differences persist, such as Republicans’ stronger preference to support social issues related to business operations (72 percent), there is unmistakable alignment on core priorities: health, family stability, mental wellbeing, education and workforce needs.

Employee insights: opportunities to strengthen trust

A new dimension in the 2025 study explored employed Americans’ satisfaction with their employers’ performance. Employees report highest satisfaction with being treated fairly (44 percent) and maintaining work–life balance (41 percent). Yet deeper engagement indicators lag significantly:

• Transparency in communications: 21 percent
• Providing volunteer opportunities: 14 percent
• Enhancing the local environment: 10 percent
• Enhancing the national environment: 10 percent

These findings reveal a critical insight: Employees today are looking not only for stability, but for meaning, trust, and alignment between what their companies say and what they do. With mental health as the nation’s top concern, employees are increasingly attuned to whether their employers support emotional wellbeing through culture, policy, workload, benefits and leadership behavior. Companies that fall short risk reputational harm internally and externally.

The road ahead: Why corporate action matters now more than ever

The research paints a clear, urgent picture: Americans expect business to lead, especially where government is absent, under-resourced or gridlocked.

What stands out most in this year’s data is the emotional tenor of the nation. Mental health’s rise to the top is not a trend: It is a declaration. It signals a society struggling to cope with cumulative pressures, seeking compassion, clarity and constancy from institutions they can still trust.

For companies, this is a defining moment. The organizations that respond with authenticity, invest in long-term solutions, and place people and their mental wellbeing at the center of their organizations will not only meet public expectation; they will shape a more resilient and humane future.

In today’s polarized climate, corporate leadership on social issues is not optional. It is foundational to reputation, resilience, workforce loyalty and long-term value creation. Companies that embrace this responsibility with intention and courage will be the ones that earn the trust and admiration of a nation looking for leaders.

Feature image credit: Andrej Lišakov/Unsplash