Union members tend to believe that most workers want to join a labor union. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 47% of union members hold that view while only 18% disagree.

But those who don’t belong to a union hold a different perspective. By a 56% to 14% margin, they believe that most workers do not want to belong to a union.

As for personal preference, only nine percent (9%) of non-union workers would like to join a union. Eighty-one percent (81%) would not.

Even among those who are worried about losing their jobs in the near future, only nine percent (9%) would like to join a union. There is also no difference in a desire for union membership between those whose firms are hiring and those who are laying people off.

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Employees of firms with fewer than 50 employees are less likely to belong to a union and less likely to be interested in a union.

All together, 24% of workers either belong to a union or would like to do so. At the same time, 59% of workers belong to the investor class and own at least $5,000 worth of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.

For those who see unions as one side in a battle between labor and management, it’s worth noting that most union members have a foot in each camp: 54% of union members also belong to the investor class.

Government employees are far more likely to belong to a union than private sector workers. They are also less likely to be investors. Forty-one percent (41%) of those on the public payroll belong to a union while 42% are investors.

Among private sector employees, just 11% belong to a union while 68% are investors. As for entrepreneurs, eight percent (8%) belong to a union, and 56% invest in companies other than just their own.

Government employees are far more likely to believe that most workers want to belong to a union. Thirty-five percent (35%) of government employees hold this view, while 33% disagree and 32% are not sure. Among those who work in the private sector, just 16% believe most workers want to belong to a union while 53% disagree.

Among non-union workers who make less than $40,000 annually, 16% would like to belong to a union.

Democrats are twice as likely as Republicans and politically unaffiliated workers to belong to a union. Democrats who do not belong to a union are also far more likely than others to want union membership.

By a 34% to 27% margin, Democrats believe that most workers want to belong to a union. However, 40% of those in President Obama’s party are not sure. Sixty-one percent (61%) of Republicans, on the other hand, do not believe most workers want to be unionized, a view shared by the plurality (49%) of adults not affiliated with either party.

In a survey in September, 55% of Americans had at least also a somewhat favorable opinion of labor unions, including 19% with a Very Favorable view. Thirty-five percent (35%) held a negative view of unions.

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