Americans Are Not Into Facebook’s New Name — and Don’t Want to Enter the Metaverse, Either
2 in 5 U.S. adults say they have an unfavorable opinion of Facebook’s new name, Meta
November 02, 2021 at 12:01 am UTC
Last week, Facebook Inc. announced its new corporate name, Meta, along with a new logo as part of the company’s strategic shift toward focusing on the metaverse. The public’s initial reaction to the rebrand is less than enthusiastic, according to new data from Morning Consult.
A plurality of Americans said they have an unfavorable opinion of the new name. Meta’s new logo received a slightly less chilly reception, with respondents more evenly split on the warped infinity symbol.
The Public Weighs In on Meta Name, Logo, Leader
U.S. adults were asked if they have favorable or unfavorable opinions of each of the following:
Poll conducted Oct. 29-Nov. 1, 2021, among 2,200 U.S. adults, with a margin of error of +/-2%. Figures may not add up to 100% due to rounding.
What the numbers say
- Facebook has a net favorability rating of 16 percentage points, with 55 percent of U.S. adults saying they have a favorable opinion and 39 percent saying they have an unfavorable opinion of the social media giant.
- They’re not fans of the name Meta, however. One-quarter (25 percent) of adults said they have a favorable opinion of Meta, while 40 percent said they have an unfavorable opinion. Roughly one-third (34 percent) said they have no opinion at all.
- Consumers feel less strongly about the Meta logo. Roughly 1 in 3 (32 percent) said they have a favorable opinion of the symbol after they were shown a photo of it. A similar share (30 percent) reacted unfavorably, and 37 percent said they have no opinion about it.
- Generation Z, a group known for its vocal skepticism and criticism of large corporations, expressed greater enthusiasm for the new logo than the general public. Forty-four percent of that cohort said they have a favorable opinion of the logo, compared to 31 percent who said the opposite, resulting in a net favorability rating of 13 points. Facebook has said it hopes to attract more young users as part of its shift toward building the metaverse.
- Americans feel unfavorably toward Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg most of all. Zuckerberg received a net favorability rating of negative 32 points. More than half (54 percent) of adults said they have an unfavorable opinion of him, compared with 22 percent who said the opposite.
Majorities of Americans Across Demographics Are Not Ready to Enter the Zuckerverse
Shares of U.S. adults who said that, based on what they know, they are either interested or uninterested in Meta’s new virtual reality project known as the metaverse:
Poll conducted Oct. 29-Nov. 1, 2021, among 2,200 U.S. adults, with a margin of error of +/-2%. Figures may not add up to 100% due to rounding.
What the numbers say
- 元可能都在,但大多数消费者n’t sold on the metaverse yet: 68 percent said that, based on what they know, they’re not interested in using Meta’s virtual and augmented reality project.
- The strongest interest in the metaverse comes from men and younger generations, as well as adults who live in urban areas.
大约有一半的消费者认为元是名称的改变Is a P.R. Move
Shares of U.S. adults who said they think the following are reasons why Facebook changed its name to Meta:
Poll conducted Oct. 29-Nov. 1, 2021, among 2,200 U.S. adults, with a margin of error of +/-2%. Figures may not add up to 100% due to rounding.
What the numbers say
- Zuckerbergtold the publicthat the new corporate name is meant to better “reflect who we are and the future we hope to build,” a reference to his aspirations of building a metaverse, which he describes as “an embodied internet where you’re in the experience, not just looking at it.” The public, however, is not so sure that’s Meta’s main motivation for changing its name.
- Roughly half (51 percent) of Americans said that if they had to guess, they would say Meta rebranded in an effort to distance itself from negative press. The company has been the subject of scrutiny following the leak of internal documents that have come to be known as the “Facebook Files” or “Facebook Papers.” Forty-four percent of consumers said they’ve heard about these leaked documents.
Thepollwas conducted Oct. 29-Nov. 1, 2021, among 2,200 U.S. adults with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
Alyssa Meyers previously worked at Morning Consult as a reporter covering brands and marketing.
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