NEW YORK – American consumers cite quality as the foremost consideration when considering a company’s status or character, according to this year’s Axios Harris Poll 100, which gauges the reputation of the nation’s most visible brands.
More than two-thirds (69%) of Americans surveyed online for this year’s Axios Harris Poll report a noticeable decline in the quality of their everyday items, according to the survey, a partnership between the Axios news website and market research firm The Harris Poll.
Poll respondents criticized businesses for passing along higher costs – including capitalizing on tariffs to pad profits – while delivering poorer perceived quality. More than half (63%) said they had recently stopped doing business with a company due to high prices, according to the survey, released this month.
Nearly half (46%) of all corporate reputations declined this year, and 37% saw their reputations improve.
After quality, the most important considerations in assessing company reputations are customer service, employee treatment and prices. More than three-quarters of consumers say brands with the best reputation are the ones prioritizing consumer wallets.
Prioritizing the consumer paid off for companies like Trader Joe’s, which took the top spot in the Axios Harris Poll 100 with a reputation score of 82.1, an increase of 3.5 points from a year earlier.
Nearly eight in 10 consumers tell The Harris Poll they care more about how brands can keep prices down than their politics.
"We used to get so upset by the culture wars and now the absolute dominant priority and attention has been focused by the consumer on value,” said John Gerzema, chief executive officer for The Harris Poll. “(Brand politics) was a thing we could pay attention to when the economy was doing better, but this is really tough times for people."
Among other revelations in the 2025 Axios Harris Poll 100:
- Companies that maintained their commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives saw their reputational scores rise this year by an average of 1.5 points.
Costco Wholesale, No. 5 this year with a reputation score of 80.6, successfully defended its diversity, equity and inclusion policies as other large U.S. companies were scaling theirs back after President Trump signed an executive order directing government agencies to investigate DEI programs at publicly traded corporations.
Across all 100 companies, reputation declined by an average of 2.3 points. Unclear corporate values or lack of conviction hinder reputation, according to the survey. Among companies taking a hit to their reputation scores this year are those that rolled back or revised their DEI commitments.
- More than three-quarters of Americans (77%) want companies to move slowly in developing artificial intelligence and get it right the first time, even if that delays breakthroughs.
For many, AI remains a solution in search of a problem, Axios reported. Some are more worried about bad information and the technology’s job-killing potential than assured by promises of its transformational potential.
- The nation’s largest retail pharmacy chains are seeing their reputations slide as they shutter stores, shorten pharmacy hours and keep certain products under lock and key. CVS ranked 57th in reputation score, down from 36th last year. Walgreens ranked 65th, down from 51st last year.
"Consumers are seeking quality for their stretched dollars, and drug store retail has developed a lot of friction and frustration," Gerzema told Axios. "This has opened up the opportunity for [direct-to-consumer] insurgents and others who can offer a better brand experience."
