{"id":113294,"date":"2019-07-25T17:10:00","date_gmt":"2019-07-25T21:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=113294"},"modified":"2019-07-25T17:10:00","modified_gmt":"2023-08-31T17:34:04","slug":"think-tank-poll-finds-that-levi-strauss-anti-gun-corporate-activism-likely-hurts-bottom-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/think-tank-poll-finds-that-levi-strauss-anti-gun-corporate-activism-likely-hurts-bottom-line\/","title":{"rendered":"Think Tank Poll Finds that Levi-Strauss\u2019 Anti-Gun Corporate Activism Likely Hurts Bottom Line"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Think<\/a>
Levi’s CEO Chip Bergh bravely took a stance against the “gun violence epidemic.” It may have cost his company big time. (Photo: Levi Strauss)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Levi-Strauss CEO Chip Bergh bravely took a stand against the Second Amendment last year when he announced his company\u2019s partnership with Everytown for Gun Safety as well as its monetary support for anti-gun student activists. This year, he\u2019s doubling down on that stance even after being presented with evidence that his activism could hurt his company\u2019s bottom line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The conservative think tank National Center for Public Policy Research funded a poll asking Americans their view on the jeans company before and after learning about Bergh\u2019s support for curbing Second Amendment rights. The poll found that support for Levi-Strauss dropped over 20 percent after respondents learned that the company supports bans on certain weapons, surveillance of gun purchases by credit card companies, and restricting Second Amendment rights based on age. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLevi\u2019s is putting itself at risk of becoming a niche brand of the political left, like Smart cars and Boca Burgers,\u201d said<\/a> National Center Vice President David W. Almasi. \u201cWhen consumers discover that Levi\u2019s supports efforts aimed at restricting their Second Amendment right to own and use guns safely and legally, our polling suggests they are less likely to buy Levi\u2019s products. The company only made this risk greater today by putting politics ahead of pants.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SEE ALSO: CEOs of Dick\u2019s, TOMS, Levi\u2019s and RXR Realty Push Gun Control in Open Letter<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Almasi presented the poll\u2019s findings at the most recent Levi-Strauss shareholder meeting, asking Bergh, \u201cIs it wise to alienate core constituencies \u2013 like Midwesterners and Gen-Xers and even Millennials \u2013 by adopting political causes? Why can\u2019t you simply remain neutral and just make clothing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bergh responded by digging in his heels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith all due respect, that\u2019s not the kind of company we are,\u201d he told Almasi. \u201cWe\u2019re a company that\u2019s proud to take stands on the important social issues of our time. With all due respect to all your research and surveys, what I can tell you is that after we\u2019ve taken these stands, our business has grown.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bergh might be banking on young student activists to keep his company afloat, but it isn\u2019t just Baby Boomers who take issue with Levi-Strauss\u2019s anti-gun stance. According to the survey, company favorability among both Millennials and Gen-Xers fell by 20 points once they learned about Bergh\u2019s activism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n