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Compared with five years ago, more U.S. adults now think celebrities are effective at influencing the public, a new THR/Morning Consult poll finds. But there’s plenty of caveats.
By Erik Hayden
Executive Editor, Business
Since Hamas’ attack on Israel, Hollywood studios, guilds, executives and talent have grappled with what, if anything, makes sense for them to speak out about during an escalating war. Perhaps that’s why multiple open letters — Gal Gadot and Amy Schumer were actively involved in one that launched with a website titled “No Hostage Left Behind” — have been circulated since the initial Oct. 7 terrorist strike.
What is clear, though, per The Hollywood Reporter/Morning Consult polling from Oct. 18-20 that compares opinion among 2,000-plus U.S. adults in 2018 and 2023, is that more people now think stars are effective at influencing the public (41 percent, a gain of 17 percentage points from 2018). Why that’s the case is an open question: Has an ever-fracturing media landscape lessened the influence of more traditional outlets? Have celebrities’ massive social media follower counts made them defacto arbiters on hot-button issues? The list of theories could go on.
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But even if there’s more perceived influence now for celebrities to sway narratives, that still means a plurality of Americans — 47 percent, per a national sample of U.S. adults in the THR/Morning Consult poll — don’t think star voices are all that effective at changing minds.
The same dynamic plays out at the ballot box, too. More respondents (31 percent in 2023) think that celebrities could be very or somewhat effective at influencing their vote in next year’s presidential election, an uptick from 25 percent who thought the same when polled before the 2018 midterm election. That still leaves a large segment of Americans (56 percent) who don’t find A-listers’ public stances to have any bearing on their political calculus.
And there’s more potential for backlash: Since 2018, when this magazine first partnered with the decision intelligence firm Morning Consult on this poll, there has been an small uptick in respondents who said they would not watch a show or movie if they didn’t like a castmember’s politics (now 25 percent). And there’s higher risk of being unfollowed on social media if the star’s political stance doesn’t land (another 25 percent of respondents).
On the pressing issue of the moment, the Israel-Palestine conflict, more respondents found it appropriate (45 percent) than not (31 percent) for a star to weigh in publicly. The numbers have some party line affiliation, too: Those who voted for Donald Trump in 2020 were likelier to say it’s “not at all appropriate” for a celebrity to weigh in on Israel (29 percent) than Joe Biden voters (10 percent). And also among age groups: Younger adults age 18-34 were most likely to say it was “very appropriate” for a star to weigh in on the topic, while older adults (45-65+) were less likely to think so.
As for which venue is best for a well-known name to wade into politics — an awards show acceptance speech? An event keynote address? Just a post on X? — more respondents said stars “should mostly use personal channels, such as social media” (23 percent) than those who said they “should mostly use events, such as awards shows” (10 percent) as a forum.
But again, the top prompt that articulated most poll respondents’ takeaway view was “Celebrities should not express their opinions about political and social issues to the public” (25 percent). Keeping that in mind, it’s worth noting that the “celebrities: don’t weigh in at all” demographic decreased by four percentage points since the last time THR ran this question with Morning Consult in 2018.
Also, to note: An Oscar may be the biggest emblem of gravitas in the industry, but it doesn’t necessarily add that much weight to perception of a stars’ political views. Only 20 percent of respondents said they’d trust a celebrity’s opinion more if they won a major award like an Oscar, Emmy or Grammy.
This poll first appeared in the Oct. 25 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
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