Today, Dec 10th 2018, marks Human Rights Day and the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — “a milestone document that proclaimed the inalienable rights which everyone is inherently entitled to as a human being — regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. It is the most translated document in the world, available in more than 500 languages” (United Nations). Today, we honor the profound progress we’ve made and those who have dedicated their lives before us — while acknowledging how much more work there is to be done and the new challenges we face in furthering human rights across the globe.

At Salesforce, we believe in the equal value of every human life and we are committed to driving human rights and Equality in the communities we serve. We do this with humility and the recognition that we don’t have all the answers, which is why we strive to engage and work together with all of our stakeholders— customer, partners, employees, local community, and society at large — to build a better world for all. In this spirit, we’ve expanded our company’s commitment to human rights and announced a new leader to head our Office of Ethical and Humane Use of Technology.

This all stems from our belief that businesses are powerful platforms for social change and that we have a responsibility to ensure we are making the world a better place for our future generations.

And we’re not alone — consumers now expect companies to lead with a higher purpose and take a stand on societal issues. In an upcoming report, Salesforce Research surveyed 2,400+ consumers in the United States to gauge their perceptions of the evolving role of business in society, the business loyalty impact of human rights advocacy, and how emerging technologies are impacting society. The research found that an overwhelming 90% of consumers believe that companies have a responsibility to improve the state of the world and 87% believe that companies have a responsibility to advocate for human rights.

Here is a sneak peek at some key findings from the research (Full report coming soon).

• 86% of consumers would be more loyal to companies that demonstrate good ethics

• 67% of consumers say technology is neither good nor bad, but how it’s used is what matters

• 81% believe emerging technologies can make the world a better place