Publication date: May 24, 2023
Written by: Travis Taylor
The Center for Excellence in Polling (CEP) recently surveyed a nationwide sample of likely voters on issues regarding the politicization of banking services.
In the wake of news reports of so-called “de-banking,” CEP’s results indicate that Americans disapprove of these behaviors by banking elites and place very little trust in financial institutions that politicize banking services. Moreover, they generally oppose the idea of governments doing business with banks and financial institutions that discriminate on the basis of politics or religious views in their business decisions.
Voters reject discriminatory account decisions
72%
…of likely voters disagree with the statement, “Banks and financial institutions should be allowed to deny services to customers based on the customer’s political, social, or religious views.” Disagreement with service denials comes from across the political spectrum: 82 percent of Independents, 76 percent of Republicans, and 61 percent of Democrats disagree with the denial of services statement.
55%
…of likely voters disagree with the statement, “Banks and financial institutions should be allowed to force non-profits to share their private donor lists to keep services.” A majority of Republicans (63%) and Independents (52%) along with a plurality of Democrats (49%) oppose forced disclosure of donors.
Voters oppose politicized employment practices
78%
…of likely voters reject discrimination against employees by banks and financial institutions. Overall, 86 percent of Republicans, 85 percent of Independents, and 64 percent of Democrats disagree with this statement: “Banks and financial institutions should be allowed to discriminate against their employees based on their religious or political views.”
67%
…of likely voters say that banks and financial institutions should not teach employees that their race puts them in separate classes. Seventy-seven percent of Republicans, 73 percent of Independents, and 54 percent of Democrats disagree with this statement: “Banks and financial institutions should teach their employees they are ‘privileged’ or ‘oppressors’ based on their skin color or their beliefs.”
Americans express deep distrust in politicized financial institutions
73%
…of voters across the political spectrum say they have “hardly any trust” or “no trust at all” in financial institutions that discriminate against their employees based on religious or political views. Similarly, 68 percent of voters say they greatly distrust institutions that teach their employees they are “privileged” or “oppressors” based on their skin color or beliefs.
67%
…of voters express a great deal of distrust in banks and financial institutions that deny services to customers based on the customer’s political, social, or religious views. This high distrust comes from three-quarters of Republicans (76%), two-thirds of Independents (68%), and 57% of Democrats.