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Should making money be the main priority for big businesses?

05th - 12th September 2025

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61471

Total votes

12598

5-11 votes

48873

11-16+ votes

Making sure young people are well-informed and confident enough to build their own opinions on matters of business, politics and the wider world is central to VotesforSchools’ mission. For this VoteTopic, we asked our voters to discuss what they value about the businesses they buy from and what expectations they place on them. They also considered whether these expectations differ depending on the size of the business, and why that might be. We are very proud to have had SEC Newgate’s input on this topic’s content, which received over 60,000 votes from children aged 5-16+!

Primary 5-7 pupils were asked, “Should business-owners only think about money?”, while Primary 7-11 pupils discussed, “Should businesses only think about making money?”, and Secondary and College students considered, “Should making money be the main priority for big businesses?”

61,471 young people voted on this VoteTopic.

child

Age 5-11 voter

My mum owns a cleaning business and you have to pay your staff and buy the products, plus you need to keep the business going, so money is really important.

teen

Age 11-16 voter

If a business plans to be successful, they will consider everything from environment, cost, and how they look after staff. They [will] make money if people think highly of them.

student

Age 11-16 voter

If you don't make money as a first priority, you don't have the resources to make change.

85% of 7-11-year olds want businesses to prioritise more than money.

  • 71% of 5-7-year olds voted 'No' to the question, “Should business-owners only think about money?”
  • 85% of 7-11-year olds voted 'No' to the similar question, “Should businesses only think about making money?”
  • Many said that there are other important factors to consider, like employee wellbeing, the environment and customer satisfaction.
54% of Secondary students don't believe that money should be a big business's main priority.

  • Secondary and College students discussed the question, “Should making money be the main priority for big businesses?”
  • 54% of Secondary and College voters said 'No', with many echoing the thoughts of their Primary peers.
Many argued other factors, like the environment and employee wellbeing are more important.

  • Primary pupils discussed the topic from a more black and white angle, whereas older voters considered where different priorities should rank for big businesses.
  • Both stressed the importance of running an ethical business and some named businesses that they won't buy from because of their business practices.
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