The vast majority of Americans say it is either very or extremely important for Congress to ensure that companies address social issues, according to a Fleishman-Hillard Inc. (FH) and the National Consumers League (NCL) survey, writes MarketingCharts (via What's Next Blog).

All political persuasions - 96% of Democrats, 80% of Independents, and 65% of Republicans - seem to be in agreement that such legislation should be enacted.

The second FH-NCL study examined the expectations that consumers have regarding corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the factors that drive those beliefs and attitudes, including political affiliation. The survey also tracked the role that media and technology play in informing people about what companies are doing to be socially responsible.

• More than three-fourths of surveyed Americans give U.S. companies less-than-high marks in the area of operating in a socially responsible manner. Democrats and Independents rate U.S. corporate performance significantly lower than Republicans do.
• A majority of Americans believe that certain sectors - specifically, the energy, food, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries - need more government oversight than other industries to ensure that they are operating in a socially responsible way.
• Two-thirds of respondents indicate that they would make purchasing decisions in favor of a company that meets global standards for social responsibility.

Internet Is Primary CSR Information Source

A majority of Americans now rank the internet as their top source for learning about the corporate social responsibility record of a company in their community.

• Of those respondents using online resources to check on CSR, 73% have used search engines, 57% have used Web sites of independent groups, and close to half have used corporate websites.
• More than one-fourth of respondents who use the internet to learn about a company's CSR record are specifically turning to blogs or podcasts set up by customers or non-management employees of companies - a 100% increase over last year's results.
• Democrats are more likely than Republicans to visit social-networking sites to gather information on a company's social responsibility record.

MarketingCharts provides additional findings and charts from the study.