Businesses Can Bolster Civic Engagement

In the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, corporations from Charles Schwab to Boston Scientific announced a freeze on all political donations.

To some observers this was an historic moment of corporate conscience. To others it was a fearful retreat.

This may reflect a fear felt by many businesses and individuals in America: better to stay silent on politics than get drawn into a donnybrook.

As a member of the business community, you may be similarly avoiding political conversations at work. However, businesses have an interest in a healthy, stable democracy, and they can bolster civil discourse by encouraging discussion of economic issues directly affecting their work.

The Business Interest
Any democratic form of government relies on the peaceful participation of its people. When people withdraw from participation or abandon peaceful action, the best-case scenario is policy unresponsive to public needs. The worst-case scenario is a violent uprising. Either outcome is bad for the economy.

A government focused on soundbites and big donors, or besieged by rioters, isn’t going to spend as much time investing in infrastructure, educating future workers, planning for housing development or supporting energy innovations. Businesses benefit from a public that is positively engaging elected officials on the issues.

Encouraging Civil Discourse
If still hesitant to mix business with politics because of potential workplace discord, know that debate on economic policy is less divisive.

For example, a 2019 poll from the Pew Research Center examined Americans’ comfort sharing political opinions at a small dinner party of people they had not met before.

The poll asked whether each respondent would share their views on a variety of topics where other guests disagreed. People were least likely to share their feelings about Donald Trump, a border wall or banning assault-style weapons.

When it came to the minimum wage debate, however, the majority said they would engage.

A 2021 survey from Pew also found there was broad agreement among both parties that “strengthening the economy” should be a top priority.

Compare that to “dealing with global climate change” (59% of Democrats said it should be a top priority compared to 14% of Republicans) or even “reducing health care costs” (67% of Democrats said it should be a top priority compared to 46% of Republicans).

Of course, asking people if they want to “strengthen the economy” is a bit like asking people if they like money—vague to the point of insignificance. Still, these poll results suggest there may be more common ground going into economic policy debates than for other policy.  

There is certainly bipartisan support in NH for policies that would incentivize affordable housing development, fund broadband internet, build job training programs and temporarily cut taxes for restaurants affected by COVID-19.

Time to Bolster Democracy
The bipartisan interest and relative comfort debating economic policy issues provide fertile ground for businesses to encourage civil debate.  

Consider asking your state representatives or senators to visit your business for a conversation with employees about policy proposals that affect your work or community. Lawmakers and voters can always learn from each other.  

Find out of if your local chamber, industry association or union has public policy meetings discussing upcoming legislation.

Other nonprofits, such as Stay Work Play, host programs that highlight local and regional economic issues. Attend these meetings, encourage coworkers to join or invite one of these groups to speak at your business.

Lastly, if you’re aware of proposed policy that could affect where you work, bring it up in the break room. For demo-cracy to work, we all need to commit to civil discourse and public participation. To learn more before starting a conversation at work, visit the Citizens Count website, citizenscount.org, which has topic pages on a variety of issues.

Anna Brown is director of research and analysis at Citizens Count, a nonprofit that provides NH residents with information about issues and candidates and promotes the civil exchange of opinions.