New Survey Finds Americans Mixed on Support for Unions

May 6, 2015

A new Pew Research Center survey describes widely varying opinions about unions and the right to organize. Some key findings:

52% of participants felt the decline in union membership was bad for the country.
Nearly half (48%) had a favorable view toward unions.
Positive views of unions by race: Blacks 60%, Hispanics 49%, Whites 45%.
Favorability declined as incomes rose.
55% of respondents between 18 and 29 years of age were 55% supportive of the unions; those 30 years old and up were split down the middle.
Union spokespersons from the UFCW and SEIU were encouraged by the survey results.
The survey included a sample of Americans 18 or older, a third of whom are current or former union members.

This data, if predictive of an inclination toward joining the union, coupled with the NLRB’s initiative for faster union elections, could be a foretell danger for employers.

The full survey can be found at: Pew Labor Unions Survey
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