Societal Engagement Puts Business at Risk of Being Politicized Percent who agree I think business can avoid being political when it addresses contentious societal issues At risk of becoming Severely severely polarized polarized 64 65 65 69 Less than majority agree in 19 of 28 countries 56 60 61 53 55 43 43 43 44 45 46 46 47 48 48 48 38 38 41 30 33 34 35 35 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer. ENG_ISS. Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: It is possible for a business to engage in addressing contentious societal issues in ways that I would not consider to be political or politically motivated. 9-point scale; top 4 box, agree. General population, 27-mkt avg.