WHAT THE DATA SAY: Only 29% know that America has a serious infant mortality issue

By: Ray Day

CONTACT:

Ray Day
ray.day@stagwellglobal.com 

We wanted to share our latest consumer and business insights, based on research from Stagwell. Among the highlights of our weekly consumer sentiment tracking:

MOOD IN U.S. REMAINS STEADY

Americans’ views of how things are going remained steady last month, according to our poll with the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard University.

• 31% of Americans say the country is on the right track (compared with 30% a month ago), and 32% say the economy is on the right track (compared with 30% last month).
• 47% say their personal financial situation is becoming worse (compared with 48% a month ago), while 28% say it is improving (compared with 26% a month ago).
• 81% of registered voters say they will definitely vote in the election (Democrat: 85%; Republican: 84%; Independent: 72%).
• 14% of voters say they are still weighing their candidate choices, including 25% of Independents.
• Vice President Harris holds a 1.7-point lead among likely voters. Yet, in battleground states, former President Trump has a 2-point lead among both likely and registered voters.
• Voters believe Trump would do a better job on specific foreign policy issues like the Ukraine/Russia war (+9 over Harris), standing up to China (+13) and the Israel/Hamas war (+10), while 51% of voters believe Harris is better equipped to be commander-in-chief over Trump.
• Inflation and immigration remain the top two national issues for voters, with 46% saying inflation is most important personally (Democrat: 39%; Republican: 52%; Independent: 47%).
• See also: I ‘don’t recall any presidential race where we’ve seen these polls this close’: Stagwell’s Mark Penn

BEST REPUTATIONS IN CANADA

Hockey dominates in Canada – yet it’s the Professional Women’s Hockey League that is at the top of Harris Poll’s inaugural ranking of the 50 most reputable companies and organizations in the country.

• The PWHL is No. 1 – above traditional powerhouses like the NHL (35^th) – followed by Toyota, Samsung, Costco, Canadian Tire, Apple, Microsoft, Manulife, Sun Life and Nike in the top 10.
• Companies in sectors heavily reliant on pricing transparency – such as grocery (Loblaws), airlines (WestJet) and telecom (Bell) – see their reputations suffering.
• Unlike American banks, Canadian banks enjoy strong public confidence. All of Canada’s “Big Five” banks ranked in the top 25, with Scotiabank leading at 13th.
• In contrast, U.S. banks like Wells Fargo and Bank of America placed much lower in the American edition of the study, Axios Harris Poll 100, highlighting a significant cross-border difference in banking trust.

U.S. UNDERPERFORMS ON INFANT MORTALITY

The U.S. – one of the most developed nations in the world – is not among those with the lowest rates of infant deaths, and less than a third of Americans know about the crisis. These are among the findings of the Harris Poll’s second annual State of Maternal Health Report.

• Similar to last year, only about 1 in 4 Americans (29%) correctly state that the U.S. does not have one of the lowest rates of infant mortality among developed countries.
• 40% know that the U.S. has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality among developed countries.
• Only half of Americans (50%) and just 57% of Black Americans know that Black women are nearly three times as likely as white women to die due to pregnancy-related causes.
• 83% believe more needs to be done to make giving birth in the U.S. safer for mothers.
• 67% of women believe the current political environment has made pregnancy and childbirth more dangerous for women.
• 40% of Americans incorrectly believe that the United States has federal paid maternity leave.
• 39% of women who are currently pregnant or have ever been pregnant say they have experienced barriers to accessing the health care they needed during pregnancy and childbirth.
• The top barrier is the inability to take time off work or find childcare to be able to attend appointments (18%) followed by insurance-related issues (16%, up from 12% in 2023).

ICYMI:

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