Topline
More Disney fans than not want Florida companies to support LGBTQ+ organizations in light of the controversial legislation known by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill—but don’t want harsher measures pulling business from the state—a new Morning Consult poll finds, suggesting Disney’s fervent fanbase largely isn’t as upset about the company’s response to the bill as many of its employees have been.
Key Facts
A 47% plurality of Disney fans said they want companies with business in Florida to donate to LGBTQ+ groups in response to the legislation, while only 26% opposed it.
Fans were evenly split on whether companies should issue a statement opposing the legislation, with 36% both opposing and supporting the move.
They were much more opposed to companies releasing a statement in support of the bill, with 45% opposing a statement praising the bill and only 26% in favor of it.
Even fewer were in favor of harsher measures, such as companies stopping business with other Florida companies (24% in support, 46% opposed), cutting business ties in Florida (22% support, 48% opposed) and closing down offices or factories in Florida (22% support, 50% opposed).
The least popular option was shutting down stores or theme parks in response to the bill, with only 20% supporting Florida companies taking that step and 53% opposing it.
The poll was conducted March 14-17 among 1,736 U.S. adults who self-identify as Disney fans.
Surprising Fact
Disney fans are slightly more likely to want content with LGBTQ+ themes in it than the general public, with 44% saying it’s important for younger audiences “to have access to TV shows and films that discuss LGBTQ+ themes” versus 41% of all U.S. adults. Disney’s LGBTQ-related content has become a matter of debate in light of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, with CEO Bob Chapek initially saying Disney preferred to support the LGBTQ+ community through its content rather than through political advocacy. Many believed that response did not go far enough, and employees at Pixar then criticized that, saying in a letter that Disney had forced the animation studio to cut “nearly every moment of overtly gay affection” it had tried to put into its films.
Contra
The poll found many Disney fans haven’t even been following the debate over the company’s “Don’t Say Gay” response, with 57% saying they weren’t aware of a statement from CEO Bob Chapek that eventually denounced the bill and 62% were unaware of Disney’s reported cuts from Pixar films.
Key Background
The Parental Rights in Education bill, referred to by critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, bans discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools up to the third grade, and only allows discussions that are “age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate” after that. The bill passed the Florida legislature in early March and Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to soon sign it into law. Disney and Chapek came under widespread criticism for the company’s initial refusal to publicly oppose the bill—particularly from its own employees—causing the CEO to backtrack and criticize the bill, and eventually pause all of Disney’s political donations in Florida. (It was also later reported the company had lobbied behind-the-scenes to soften the bill’s language.) The company has continued to face consequences for its initial actions, however, with employees staging a walkout on Tuesday and Florida’s Democratic Party moving a fundraiser planned to take place in Walt Disney World. Disney has a significant presence in Florida—Walt Disney World is the largest single-site employer in the U.S., and the company is moving even more theme park jobs to the state—and has influenced other state legislation, such as a social media law that has a specific carve-out for companies with theme parks.
Further Reading
Despite Criticism of Disney Over ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Response, Disney Fans Aren’t Exactly Up in Arms (Morning Consult)
(Forbes)
