The Role of Pressure Groups

Exam code: 7115

Written by: Ashika|Reviewed by: Caroline Carroll|Updated 2 July 2026

Pressure groups are organisations, or groups of people, that seek to influence the policies and actions of businesses or governments
Their primary objective is to promote a specific cause or agenda
Pressure groups want a business to support their cause or take action on an issue
- For example, an animal rights group may want a clothing company to stop using animal products in their clothing
They can operate on a national or international scale
- Save the Arctic campaigned for Lego not to sell their products at Shell petrol stations
- Greenpeace campaigned for Kimberley Clark (the manufacturer of products such as Kleenex and Huggies) to dispose of their products in a sustainable way

Pressure groups often publish reports or use social media to expose businesses behaving unethically
This can damage the business’s reputation and reduce public trust
- For example, in 2022, Greenpeace publicly criticised Coca-Cola for being one of the world’s biggest plastic polluters
  - This naming and shaming led to media attention and public pressure on the company to improve its packaging

This includes protests, strikes, boycotts and other public demonstrations to draw attention to an issue and pressure the business to change its behaviour
For example, pressure group Extinction Rebellion staged protests outside Barclays Bank branches to demand the bank stopped funding fossil fuel projects
- These protests have affected customer views and generated negative media headlines

Pressure groups may meet with government officials or provide evidence to encourage changes in laws or regulations that affect business practices
For example, the Living Wage Foundation has lobbied the UK government to increase the minimum wage and encourages businesses to adopt the higher 'living wage'
- This has influenced major companies like Lidl and Aviva to increase employee pay

Introduction to pressure groups