Wonder Which Businesses are “Most Essential” During COVID-19? Check This List Out

This week the Harris Poll released “The Harris Poll Essential 100”, which is a ranking of corporate response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Americans say 100 leading companies played a truly essential role during the crisis.

The top 10, based on the survey, are (in order): “United States Postal Service, Clorox, Google, United Parcel Service, Walmart, Amazon, Purell, Microsoft, FedEx, and CVS.”

The Essential 100 rates companies had the following criteria: resolve, integrity, responsiveness and permanence.

What seems clear from the survey is corporate America is seen as a definite part of the solution today, rather than the problem, as was the case during the 2008 financial crisis.  It appears much has changed in 12 years.

“When they needed it the most, Americans put their trust in the business community to help them through COVID-19,” said John Gerzema, CEO of The Harris Poll. “We’ve seen widespread approval of the corporate response to the pandemic – whether pivoting to different goods and services, reinforcing supply chains, or seeking cures for the deadly virus.”

In addition, the survey shows that the reputation of companies during COVID-19 has actually improved in every sector and that trust in business is at a high.