Harris Interactive announced the results of its 14th annual Harris Poll Reputation Quotient study, which ranked consumers' opinion of the reputation of the 60 most visible companies in the United States; AdvisorOne focused on the top 10.
The survey found that the "state of corporate reputation in the U.S. is quite muddled with 'pragmatic realism' characterizing the public's view. Many strongly negative perceptions are down, but there was little positive to report."
Technology companies dominated the top of the survey, with a 79% positive and only 6% negative reputation, while tobacco was at the bottom, with a 12% positive and 73% negative reputation among all companies.
The Harris Poll Reputation Quotient (RQ) measures 20 attributes in six areas that make up reputation and affect consumer behavior: social responsibility, emotional appeal, products and services, workplace environment, financial performance, and vision and leadership.
The 2013 RQ survey interviewed more than 14,000 people last year from Nov. 13 to Nov. 30. An RQ score of 80 or above signifies that a company has an "excellent reputation," and 75-79 score, a "very good reputation." This year, only six companies scored 80 or above, instead of eight in 2012 and 16 in 2011. Overall, scores were lower than last year.
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(Check out Top 8 Favorite U.S. Companies: 2012 and Top 10 Most Disliked U.S. Companies: 2013 at AdvisorOne.)
10. Costco: 77.95
(Very good)
2012 RQ Score (Rank): 76.72 (19th)
9. Procter & Gamble: 77.98
(Very good)
2012 RQ Score (Rank): 78.09 (15th)
8. Sony: 78.29
(Very good)
2012 RQ Score (Rank): 79.22 (11th)
7. Whole Foods Market: 78.65
(Very good)
2012 RQ Score (Rank): 80.14 (8th)
