Majority of U.S. Opinion Leaders Feel the Country is on the Wrong Track

Basis Technologies survey of 1,006 U.S. Political Opinion Leaders Reveal Top Issues, Most Trusted Information Sources and More for 2024 Elections

Chicago – March 28, 2024 – Basis Technologies (https://basis.com), a global provider of programmatic advertising and media automation solutions, today announced survey results showing that 64% of U.S opinion leaders feel that the country is on the wrong track. The data was compiled from a custom research study commissioned by Basis Technologies and conducted by consumer research company GWI, completed in October 2023. Findings from this custom study will be presented alongside GWI Zeitgeist data on a webinar on Thursday, April 11th, at 2:00 pm ET (11:00 am PT). To register for the webinar, visit here: https://www.gwi.com/webinars/understanding-us-voters. Highlights of the data are available in this infographic: http://basis.com/reports/understanding-political-attitudes-by-generation-in-2024-infographic.

Additional findings from Basis Technologies’ custom research on the 2024 elections show that:

• 60% of key opinion leaders are worried about the upcoming U.S. elections.
• While 91% of opinion leader respondents say they are engaged in federal-related politics, there are slight drops in engagement percentage for state and local politics.
• Top issues for opinion leaders are inflation, jobs, health care and climate change – all of which were chosen by 55% or more by respondents. Taxes, fuel prices and gun regulation were chosen by less than half of respondents.
• Top sources for information about politics or social topics for opinion leaders were major network news, online news, cable news and local news stations – all cited by 56% of respondents or higher. Only 19% cited social media feeds as their sources.

Findings from GWI Zeitgeist on the 2024 elections show that:

• Among average Americans, 27% of Gen Z say that recent social issues such as Roe v. Wade and Black Lives Matter have had a dramatic impact on their political views, with an additional 39% saying they had a moderate impact.
• For the average American, the top source for information about social issues was social media, cited by 49% of respondents. This skews higher at 60% or more for respondents aged 18-34.
• Among average Americans, the organizations that have the highest trust are banks (30%), current employers (28%) and religious institutions (21%). Only 9% said they trust social media companies.

“The 2024 U.S. elections will be noisy and fragmented for voters and community influencers. The challenge for candidates is to build and manage resources so that supporters amplify campaigns and voters buy in and turn out,” said Jaime Vasil, group VP of candidates and causes, Basis Technologies. “Campaigns are won when multiple factors are working together harmoniously. It’s imperative for marketing teams to understand the national and local political environment that candidates are navigating, and to operate with speed and scale to capitalize on opportunities and react to changes in political discourse.”

The series of studies from Basis Technologies and GWI encompass key opinion leaders and average Americans. Key opinion leaders are senior business leaders, or those who work in media or journalism, or those aged 35+ with $100k+ annual household income. They represent likely voters, as 92% of those surveyed say they voted in the 2020 general elections. Average Americans encompass Internet users aged 18+ or a general population aged 18-64.

Basis Technologies has been trusted by agencies and consultants in politics, public affairs, and advocacy for 16 years. Its platform provides a comprehensive selection of unique buying methods across all channels and devices, utilizing all major creative types and formats. Since 2007, Basis Technologies has helped power digital media for over 2,500 political campaigns and independent expenditure committees, and over 2,500 issue advocacy advertisers.

About GWI

GWI is modernized consumer research – global, on-demand, and accessible to everyone, not just data experts. It’s a platform designed for companies that want fresh and insightful data about their consumers. Values, purchase journeys, media usage, social media habits - we cover it all. With data representing nearly 3 billion people across 50+ countries, GWI has become the go-to for agencies, brands and media companies that want to know what really drives their audience to action. For more, visit www.gwi.com.

About Basis Technologies

Basis Technologies is a global provider of programmatic advertising and media automation software and services for enterprises. The Basis platform improves omnichannel marketing performance by unifying programmatic and direct media buying, workflow automation, cross-channel campaign planning, universal reporting and business intelligence. It delivers a comprehensive selection of buying methods across all channels and devices, utilizing all major creative types and formats. Delivered through a world-class media services team or a SaaS model, Basis solves digital media complexity and drives profitability through a single system of record, seamless team collaboration, and actionable data-driven insights. Headquartered in Chicago with offices servicing North America, South America, and Europe, Basis Technologies has received numerous accolades for its commitment to employees and workplace culture. Learn more at https://basis.com.

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Contact:

Anthony Loredo

917-573-4157

anthony.loredo@basis.com