Most Voters Don’t Think Non-Union Members Should Pay Dues
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments today in a case that could have huge ramifications for unions. Voters continue to believe labor unions have too much political sway and most don’t think non-union members should have to pay dues, which is the main argument in the Janus v. AFSCME case.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 41% of Likely U.S. Voters believe labor unions have too much political influence, while 25% think they don’t have enough influence. Eighteen percent (18%) feel labor unions have basically no impact on politics in this country, and another 16% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The number of voters who feel labor unions have too much political influence is up slightly from 35% in August, but is down from 50% in 2016 and in 2015.
At issue in the case before the Supreme Court is whether unions representing public employees can collect fees from workers who choose not to join the union. Thirty-two percent (32%) of voters say if non-union members get hired by a unionized company, they should be required by law to pay union dues. Fifty-five percent (55%) disagree, while 12% are undecided.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely U.S. Voters was conducted on February 21-22, 2018 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.
A separate survey conducted in August found that just 32% of voters think most organized labor leaders do a good job representing union members. Slightly more (38%) say labor leaders are out of touch with most of their members. Another 31% are not sure how union leaders are doing.
Fifty-five percent (55%) of Republicans think labor unions have too much political influence, but just 25% of Democrats believe that to be true. Thirty-six percent (36%) of Democrats feel labor unions don’t have enough political influence, a view shared by just 18% of GOP voters. Among voters not affiliated with either political party, 45% say unions have too much influence, while 19% don’t think they have enough influence.
Most Republicans (66%) and unaffiliated voters (59%) don’t think non-union members should be required by law to pay dues if they get hired by a unionized company. Democrats are evenly divided.
Men and older voters are more likely than women and those who are younger to believe labor unions have too much political influence.
Half (51%) of entrepreneurs think labor unions have too much political influence, but only 36% of government workers and 40% of private company employees share that view.
Union members (32%) are more likely than non-union members (21%) to say that labor unions don’t carry enough political power. They’re also more likely to say that non-union workers should be required to pay dues if hired by a unionized company.
Among voters who feel unions have too much political influence, 78% don’t think non-union members should be required to pay dues. Fifty-three percent (53%) of voters who say unions don’t have enough political influence think non-union members should be required by law to pay dues.
Nearly half (49%) of all Americans say teachers’ unions are more interested in protecting members’ jobs than in the quality of education.
In 2013, 44% of Adults had at least a somewhat favorable impression of labor unions, while 45% viewed them unfavorably.
Thirty-five percent (35%) of voters think the Supreme Court is too conservative in political terms. Twenty-five percent (25%) think the court is too liberal, while another 25% say it is about right, politically speaking.
Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to Platinum Members only.
Please sign up for the Rasmussen Reports daily e-mail update (it’s free) or follow us on Twitter or Facebook. Let us keep you up to date with the latest public opinion news.
The survey of 1,000 Likely U.S. Voters was conducted on February 21-22, 2018 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.
Rasmussen Reports is a media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion information.
We conduct public opinion polls on a variety of topics to inform our audience on events in the news and other topics of interest. To ensure editorial control and independence, we pay for the polls ourselves and generate revenue through the sale of subscriptions, sponsorships, and advertising. Nightly polling on politics, business and lifestyle topics provides the content to update the Rasmussen Reports web site many times each day. If it's in the news, it's in our polls. Additionally, the data drives a daily update newsletter and various media outlets across the country.
Some information, including the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll and commentaries are available for free to the general public. Subscriptions are available for $4.95 a month or 34.95 a year that provide subscribers with exclusive access to more than 20 stories per week on upcoming elections, consumer confidence, and issues that affect us all. For those who are really into the numbers, Platinum Members can review demographic crosstabs and a full history of our data.
To learn more about our methodology, click here.