48% See No Further Need for Labor Unions, 30% Disagree
Half of American Adults (48%) think labor unions have outlasted their usefulness, but there’s a sharp difference of opinion between Republicans and Democrats on the question.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 30% disagree and say that unions have not outlived their role. Twenty-one percent (21%) are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
These findings are consistent with attitudes found two years ago. At that time, 45% said labor unions actually make America weaker, while 26% believed they make the country stronger and 13% said they have no impact.
Yet while 68% of Republicans and 54% of adults not affiliated with either of the major political parties believe unions have outlived their usefulness, 52% of Democrats still see a need for them.
Among working Americans who do not belong to a union, just 13% would like to join a labor union where they work. That’s up slightly from nine percent in March 2009. Seventy-eight percent (78%) would not like to join a union.
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The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on September 13-14, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
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