Organisations grow wary of public stances, study finds
4 min
When does speaking out strengthen an organisation’s reputation, and when does it create more risk than reward?
- Updates
More than half of PR professionals said their organisations are now more cautious about taking public positions than they were five years ago, according to research by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), a professional body for PR practitioners. Nearly 48% said the risks of speaking out outweigh the benefits.
Wider research shows the public is becoming more divided. Edelman’s 2026 UK Trust Barometer found that 76% of people were unwilling or hesitant to trust someone with different values, facts or cultural backgrounds. In that environment, a public statement can be harder to land with audiences who may already distrust one another.
The CIPR survey found that 47% face more pressure to comment on contentious issues. But fewer than half said their employer has guidance on how to deal with polarising topics.
Private-sector organisations were the most cautious, with 63% of practitioners reporting a more careful approach, compared with 39% in the non-for-profit sector.
Fake news and disinformation were named the profession’s biggest challenge, ahead of AI. CIPR president Farzana Baduel said PR professionals must guide leaders on whether to speak publicly, as well as what to say.