Respondents were asked: Please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the following statements Respondents were asked a series of questions to understand the role their values, opinions about social issues, and political beliefs played in their purchasing decisions. The Belief - Driven Buyer scale was created by averaging respondents’ answers to the seven 9 - pt agree/disagree scale items, shown in the table to the right. • Non - belief - driven buyers were those that scored between 1 – 4.99 on the scale, meaning on average they disagreed with these statements • Respondents who scored between 5.00 – 9.00 on the scale were classified as belief - driven buyers, meaning on average they saw themselves reflected at least to some extent in these statements 1. Even if a company makes the product that I like most, I will not buy it if I disagree with the company’s stand on important social issues. 2. If a brand offers the best price on a product, I will buy it even if I disagree with the company’s stand on controversial social or political issues. 3. I have bought a brand for the first time for the sole reason that I appreciated its position on a controversial societal or political issue. 4. I have stopped buying one brand and started buying another because I liked the politics of one more than the other. 5. I have strong opinions about many societal and political issues. The brands I choose to buy and not buy are one important way I express those opinions. 6. I have stopped buying a brand solely because it remained silent on a controversial societal or political issue that I believed it had an obligation to publicly address. 40 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report THE NEW CASCADE OF INFLUENCE HOW WE CALCULATED BELIEF - DRIVEN BUYERS