Catherwood LibraryILR School

According to a recent poll by the Pew Research Center, 55% of Americans have a favorable view of labor unions, compared to 33% who hold an unfavorable view. The results are not a new development, in fact, the same poll has shown that a majority of Americans have supported the idea of labor unions for the last three decades. Still, BLS data shows that only 10.7% of all wage workers in 2017 were union members. Union membership fell to an all-time low in 2016, to about half of the 1986 rate of 20.1%. According to the Pew Research study, 51% of Americans view the decline of labor unions as effecting workers negatively, while 33% believe the decline has been good for working people. African Americans, people who hold advanced degrees, and young adults are most likely to believe that the decline of unionization has had a negative impact on workers. Along party lines, 68% of Democrats and left-leaning independents believe the decline of unions has negatively affected workers, while 53% of Republicans and right-leaning independents see the decline of unions as being mostly good for working people.