New poll identifies grocery as second most trusted industry during COVID-19
It's no doubt grocery shopping is different than it was a few months ago. You may be used to many of the changes by now. It may seem crazy we ever shopped without whipping down the cart and wearing a mask.
All of those safety measures grocery stores had to implement at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic have had a surprising effect, one survey revealed. People trust them more.
A recent poll from Axios and Harris shows that the grocery industry is the second most trusted industry, just below the medical field during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Of those surveyed, 75% of consumers agree that companies were more reliable than the federal government in keeping America running amid shutdowns. 81% agree that large companies with resources, expensive infrastructure and advanced logistics are even more vital to America’s future than they were before the pandemic.
According to the poll, 35% of Americans have more trust in the grocery industry than they did before the pandemic. Grocers including Publix, Wegmans and Kroger were among the highest-ranking companies in the poll.
Two of the three also made the list of the 10 grocery stores that increased in favorability by at least 30% during the pandemic according to 1,000 shoppers. Although the Magid Food & Beverage Consumer Insights Tracker survey found that Amazon Fresh came in at the most favorable, Publix and Kroger were not far behind.
The Axios and Harris survey also revealed that 75% of people believe companies are better suited to keep the country going compared to the federal government. Over 80% believe large companies are important for the future because of their access to resources, infrastructure, and logistics, according to Supermarket Perimeter. In addition, people trust the media 5% less and airlines 7% less.
This news comes as a second wave of grocery hoarding could be around the corner. The number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise and this has some experts wary that there will be more people running to their supermarket to stock up in case stay-at-home orders are reissued. But, if this happens, it is less likely that shelves will be bare because production plants have already been working to restock.
