What Americans really think about unions: By the numbers
According to two new polls, Americans are siding with public sector unions... and most Wisconsinites wish they hadn't voted for Scott Walker
The numbers are in... and the news is good for government workers. According to two new polls — one a nationwide survey by The New York Times/CBS News, the other a Wisconsin-specific poll from Democratic pollster Public Policy Polling — a plurality of Americans support public sector unions and oppose weakening collective bargaining rights, though in many cases, the divide is close. Here, a brief guide to the polls, by the numbers:
1/3
Share of Americans who view public sector unions favorably, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
1/4
Share of Americans who view public sector unions unfavorably. The majority of Americans are undecided.
60
Percent of Americans who oppose weakening the bargaining rights of public employee unions
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
33
Percent of Americans who support weaking the bargaining rights of public employee unions. The "embattled public employee unions have the support of most Americans," say Michael Cooper and Megan Thee-Brenan in The New York Times.
56
Percent of Americans who oppose cutting pay or benefits for public employees in order to reduce the deficit
37
Percent of Americans who support cutting pay or benefits for public employees in order to reduce the deficit
Over $100,000
Amount people earned, per year, in the income group that was most supportive of cutting public workers' pay and/or benefits. In this income group, 45 percent of those surveyed favored cuts, while 49 percent opposed them. In other income groups, the vast majority were opposed.
40
Percent of Americans who said they would increase taxes to reduce the deficit. "Tax increases were not as unpopular among those surveyed as they are among many governors, who have vowed to avoid them," say Cooper and Thee-Brenan.
51
Percent of Wisconsin voters who side with the public employee unions, according to a Public Policy Polling survey. "The state is very closely divided, but it leans slightly to the union side of things," says pollster Tom Jensen.
57
Percent of Wisconsin voters who believe workers should have the right to collectively bargain. "When it comes to broader questions about rights for public employees in Wisconsin the margins are less narrow," says Jensen.
48
Percent of Wisconsin voters who say they would support an election to recall Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who is trying to gut collective bargaining rights
48
Percent of Wisconsin voters who would oppose a recall
52
Percent of Wisconsin voters who disapprove of Walker and say they would vote for his opponent, Democrat Tom Barrett, if they had the November elections to do over again. "My gut instinct was that Scott Walker's campaign would be popular, and resistance to it would be a minority sentiment," says Ezra Klein in The Washington Post. "My gut was very, very wrong. I wonder whether Scott Walker is beginning to get the creeping suspicion that his gut was wrong, too?"
Sources: New York Times, Public Policy Polling, Washington Post
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'A direct, protracted war with Israel is not something Iran is equipped to fight'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 17, 2024
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - political anxiety, jury sorting hat, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Arid Gulf states hit with year's worth of rain
Speed Read The historic flooding in Dubai is tied to climate change
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published