A recent poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports revealed that the majority of Americans are in support of the boycott of Anheuser-Busch over their tie-up with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney, and believe that major corporations are giving too much attention to transgender issues.
The brewing giant’s decision to collaborate with Mulvaney, a controversial TikToker, to promote their low-calorie beer has been described by pollster Mark Mitchell as “stepping in a hornets’ nest.”
According to the survey of 1,000 adults, 54 percent of respondents expressed support for the boycott of Anheuser-Busch, the producer of Bud Light, while 30 percent were opposed, and 16 percent were unsure.
Similarly, 52 percent of respondents believed that major corporations are focusing too much on transgender issues, with only 18 percent feeling that they do not focus enough on the topic.
The backlash against Anheuser-Busch’s tie-up with Mulvaney has also impacted sales, with 40 percent of respondents stating that they were less likely to purchase Bud Light after the controversy, while only 19 percent said they were more likely to buy the beer. Another 37 percent indicated that it made no difference to them.
The poll revealed that support for the boycott and concerns about corporations’ attention to transgender issues were not limited to one political party or demographic.
While middle-aged, married individuals, and Republicans were generally more supportive of the boycott and more likely to believe that corporations were pandering to the transgender cause, a significant number of Democrats also expressed similar sentiments.
In fact, 41 percent of Democrat-voting respondents felt that big companies like Anheuser-Busch were focusing too much on transgender issues, indicating that there is a significant portion of the Democrat electorate that does not support the “gender agenda.”
The controversy erupted after Bud Light gifted Mulvaney an influencer package on April 1 to celebrate the first anniversary of her hit TikTok series, Days of Girlhood, which documents her transition from male to female.
The promotional tie-up included customized Bud Light cans featuring illustrations of Mulvaney’s face, which she showcased in an Instagram video.
However, Mulvaney’s energetic and attention-seeking skits have been criticized by some as tedious and grating, and there are concerns about the influence of influencers on teenagers’ perception of gender and their requests for potentially-harmful drugs and procedures.
The backlash against Anheuser-Busch was swift and widespread, with conservative celebrities and politicians, including John Rich, Travis Tritt, and Kid Rock, among others, leading the boycott that caused billions of dollars to be wiped off the company’s value within days. Kid Rock even posted a video of himself firing a rifle at cases of Bud Light in protest.
In response to the controversy, CEO Brendan Whitworth, a former Marine and CIA agent who is a registered Republican, released a statement on Friday, appearing to backtrack on the company’s decision to partner with Mulvaney. He stated that the company had never intended to divide Americans with the collaboration. The company’s stock market value took a hit of $6 billion, but started to recover after the CEO’s statement and when some conservative voices, including Donald Trump Jr., called for the boycott to end.
The Rasmussen Reports poll, conducted between April 12-16 and with a three percentage point error margin, sheds light on the sentiments of Americans regarding the boycott of Anheuser-Busch over their tie-up with Dylan Mulvaney.
The results reveal that a significant portion of the population supports the boycott and believes that corporations are giving too much attention to transgender issues. The controversy serves as a reminder of the complex and contentious nature of societal discussions around gender and the role of corporations in shaping public perceptions and values.
