Brands might be pulling out of Russia en masse, in protest of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, but it seems British consumers are not exactly following suit, with only just over half (56%) saying they are less likely to buy from a brand that continues doing business in Russia.
The research, carried out by YouGov, reveals Generation Z – often painted as snowflakes who demand firms are whiter than white – are the least likely to join the boycott, with just one third of those aged 18 to 24 planning to do so.
It is the older generations who feel the strongest about the effects of the war, with two-thirds of those aged 50-64 (65%) and 65+ (67%), taking a dim view of brands which remain in Russia.
Conversely, if a brand were to stop doing business in Russia, half of Britons (51%) say the would be more likely to buy from it. Again, this sentiment is lowest among younger Britons with just one third (33%) saying they would be more likely to buy from brands that joined the exodus.
Two in three Britons (68%) say that it is important for brands to publicly take a stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Just one in six (17%) say that this is not important.
Interestingly, among younger Britons (aged 18 to 24) just over two in five (42%) say it is important for brands to publicly take a stance on the conflict, compared to three quarters (76%) of those aged 50-64 and over eight in ten (83%) of 65+. Younger Britons are also the most likely to say that it is not important for brands to do this (26%).
Two in five (41%) Britons report that they would boycott or already have boycotted brands that continue doing business with Russia, with the same proportion saying that they have not considered doing this (38%). The proportion who say they have not considered doing this rises to almost half (46%) 18- to 24-year-olds.
Overall among Britons, around one in five say that they have already boycotted or would consider boycotting brands who have not made any public statements about the conflict (20%), not pledged to donate money/supplies to the Ukrainian army (21%), and not pledged to donate money/supplies to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine (23%).
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