Chick-Fil-A, despite its extreme anti-gay corporate positions and practices, has generally had a sterling reputation. But immediately after Chick-Fil-A President Dan Cathy‘s comments attacking same-sex marriage were published in the Baptist Press, Chick-Fil-A saw a drop in its reputation score, measured by global brand indexing giant YouGov, of 40%, from a score of 65, to a score of 39.
“Chick-Fil-A’s perception with fast food eaters nationwide has taken a significant hit in most regions of the US, including the South where most of its restaurants are located, since president and COO Dan Cathy’s perceived anti-gay remarks on July 16th,” YouGov Senior Vice President Ted Marzilli writes:
On July 16th, the day the Baptist Press published its Dan Cathy interview, Chick-Fil-A’s Index score was 65, a very substantial 19 points above the Top National QSR Sector average score that day of 46.
Four days later, Chick-Fil-A had fallen to 47 score, three points below the Top National QSR Sector average score of 50. This past Wednesday, Chick-Fil-A had a 39 score compared to the Top National QSR Sector average score of 43.
YouGov BrandIndex respondents in the South took Chick-Fil-A from an Index score of 80 on July 16th to its current 44. Chick-Fil-A’s biggest drop took place in the Northeast, where it went from 76 to 35, a difference of 41 points.
Noting the drops in consumer perception are “reflective of an America that values and respects its LGBT neighbors and rejects rhetoric like Dan Cathy’s that seeks to demean and dehumanize the LGBT community,” GLAAD’s Aaron McQuade adds that the “numbers show that customer opposition to Chick-Fil-A goes far beyond just those who are taking part in protests and kiss-ins. The sentiment stretches to decision makers and dinner tables in homes across the country, and other corporations should take note.”