Consumers' impression of pharma companies has soared during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 40% now reporting that they have a more positive view of the industry than they did before the pandemic began, according to recent data from The Harris Poll.
The positive sentiment, expressed by survey respondents between April 11 and April 13, represents upward momentum.
While industry experts and watchers have been cautiously optimistic that the pharma industry's concerted efforts to fight COVID-19 might result in a reputation boost, the Harris Poll data is the first major market survey to show clear evidence.
Healthcare workers ranked highest, he said, with 65% of consumers citing a more positive view of that industry, followed by grocery retailers (53%) and technology (41%).
The pharma industry’s poor reputation over the past few years is well-documented, including in previous research from Harris Poll. Its pre-COVID-19 data from January and February shows that only 32% of Americans had a positive view of the pharma industry at the time, ranking it third from the bottom among 12 industry categories.