CBS NEWS/NEW YORK TIMES POLL For release: Monday, February 28, 2011 6:30 pm (EST) Majorities Oppose Cutting Public Employees Compensation and Reducing Collective Bargaining Power February 24-27, 2011 Despite the troubles some states are experiencing meeting their budgets, most Americans oppose cutting public employee benefits (56%) in order to reduce state budget deficits and ending some collective bargaining rights for unions (60%). 45% say the motivation to reduce public employees pay and benefits is mostly deficit reduction, but nearly as many (41%) say it s to weaken the power of unions. More Americans would support increasing taxes over reducing the pay of public employees as a means of balancing their state s budget. Public Employees and State Deficit Reduction State governments across the country are facing large deficits, and in response political leaders in some states have proposed cutting the pay or benefits of public employees. 56% of Americans are opposed to this as a way to help reduce state budget deficits, including three in 10 who are strongly opposed. Just 37% favor it. Cutting Pay or Benefits of Public Employees to Reduce State Budget Deficits Favor 37% Strongly 17% Somewhat 20 Oppose 56% Strongly 29 Somewhat 27 And in some states -- most notably Wisconsin -- politicians have proposed reducing some of the collective bargaining rights for public employee unions. 60% of Americans oppose doing this, while just a third favors it. Taking Away Some Collective Bargaining Rights of Public Employee Unions Favor 33% Strongly 18% Somewhat 15 Oppose 60% Strongly 38 Somewhat 22 On both proposals, views differ by political party. Democrats and independents oppose cutting the benefits of public employees and taking away some collective bargaining power from public unions, while Republicans are more likely to support both these measures.
Views on Collective Bargaining & Cutting Public Employee Benefits by Party ID Reps Dems Inds Cutting pay/benefits of public employees Favor 53% 21% 40% Oppose 41 72 51 Taking away some collective bargaining rights of public employees unions Favor 51% 20% 33% Oppose 44 71 61 Those living in households with a union member or a public employee are especially likely to oppose these actions. Americans are divided as to the motivation behind recent efforts to reduce public employees benefits. 45% think states are mostly trying to reduce their budget deficits, but almost as many (41%) say these efforts are mostly an attempt to weaken unions. Republicans see the motivation as deficit reduction, while Democrats see it as trying to diminish the power of unions. Not surprisingly, 54% of those in union households say the states are mostly trying to weaken unions. States Trying to Reduce Benefits of Public Employees Mostly To All Reps Dems Inds Union HHs Reduce budget deficits 45% 59% 39% 41% 34% Weaken the power of unions 41 24 49 45 54 When asked to choose one from a list of options for reducing their own state s budget deficit, 40% of Americans choose raising taxes as the top remedy, followed by 22% who pick reducing benefits or pay for public employees and 20% who choose decreasing funding for roads and public transportation. Few pick reducing funding for education. Which One are You Willing to do in Order to Reduce Your State s Deficit? All Reps Dems Inds Increase taxes 40% 25% 56% 34% Decrease benefits of public employees 22 29 13 24 Decrease funding for roads 20 26 17 18 Decrease funding for education 3 5 1 5 Pay and Benefits One reason there may not be more support for cutting public employees pay and benefits is that few view them as too high now. Just a quarter of Americans think the salaries and benefits of most public employees are too high -- as many as say their pay is too low. More, 36%, think the compensation of these employees is about right. Few of those living in households in which someone is a union member say that public employees pay is too high, but 45% think it s about right. Salaries and Benefits of Most Public Employees are All Union HHs Too high 26% 16% Too low 25 25 About right 36 45
Some public employees have retirement benefits that enable them to retire earlier than those in other professions and Americans are divided as to whether they should be able to do so. 49% think police officers and firefighters should be able to retire after 25 years of service and collect their pension payments, even if they are in their 40s or 50s. 44% think they should have to be older than that to retire and collect their pensions, regardless of their years of service. Views are similar for teachers. 49% think teachers should be able to retire and collect their pensions after a set number of years in service, even if they are younger than 65. 46% think they should not be able to do that. Should Be Able to Retire and Collect Pensions Early? Yes No Police and firefighters after 25 years of service 49% 44 Teachers younger than 65 years old 49% 46 Views of Unions 33% of Americans have a positive opinion of labor unions generally, while 25% have an unfavorable view. Four in 10 don t have an opinion. Democrats are much more likely than Republicans to hold a favorable impression of labor unions. Overall Views of Labor Unions Favorable 33% Unfavorable 25 Undecided 19 Haven t heard enough 20 40% of those who are a union member themselves or who live in households with a union member identify themselves as Democrats, 24% are Republicans, and 36% consider themselves independents. And while Americans are more likely to think unions have too much rather than too little sway in Americans life and politics, the percentage that says they have too much sway has declined over the past thirty years. In 1981, in the wake of the air traffic controller controversy, 60% thought unions held too much influence; that percentage has steadily declined over the years to just 37% now. 19% think they hold too little influence, and 29% think unions influence is about right. Influence of Labor Unions on American Life and Politics Now 2/2010 3/2009 9/1981 Too much 37% 43% 47% 60% Too little 19 15 18 11 Right amount 29 27 24 22 There are striking differences between Republicans and Democrats on this question: 61% of Republicans think unions are too influential, while just 22% of Democrats agree.
Influence of Labor Unions on American Life and Politics All Reps Dems Inds Too much 37% 61% 22% 35% Too little 19 10 25 18 Right amount 29 16 39 28 Paying Attention Many are paying attention to the recent controversy over these issues. Three in four Americans have heard or read about the efforts in many states to reduce deficits by cutting the benefits of public employees, including four in 10 who have heard or read a lot about it. Those living in a household with a union member or a public employee are more likely to be paying a lot of attention to news about this issue. Heard or Read About States Trying to Reduce Benefits of Public Employees? All Union HHs Public Employee HHs A lot 39% 56% 46% Some 33 33 39 Not much 20 7 12 Nothing 6 3 3 This poll was conducted among a random sample of 984 adults nationwide, interviewed by telephone February 24-27, 2011. Phone numbers were dialed from RDD samples of both standard land-lines and cell phones. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. The error for subgroups is higher. This poll release conforms to the Standards of Disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.
CBS NEWS/NEW YORK TIMES POLL Unions and Public Employees February 24-27, 2011 q2 Is your opinion of labor unions favorable, not favorable, undecided, or haven't you heard enough about labor unions yet to have an opinion? ** TOTAL RESPONDENTS ** *** Party ID *** Total Rep Dem Ind % % % % Favorable 33 19 48 29 Not favorable 25 47 10 24 Undecided 19 21 19 18 Haven't heard enough 20 12 21 25 Refused 3 1 2 4 q3 Do you think labor unions have too much influence, too little influence, or about the right amount of influence on American life and politics today? Feb10b Too much 37 61 22 35 43 Too little 19 10 25 18 15 Right amount 29 16 39 28 27 DK/NA 15 13 14 19 15 q4 If you HAD to choose ONE, which of the following would you be willing to do in order to reduce your STATE'S budget deficit 1. increase taxes, 2. decrease benefits of public employees like teachers or police officers, 3. decrease funding for roads and public transportation, OR 4. decrease funding for education? Increase taxes 40 25 56 34 Decrease benefits 22 29 13 24 Decrease funding for roads 20 26 17 18 Decrease education funding 3 5 1 5 No state deficit (vol.) 1 0 1 1 DK/NA 14 15 12 18 q5 In general, do you think the salaries and benefits of MOST public employees are too high for the work that they do, too low for the work that they do, or are their salaries and benefits about right for the work that they do? Too high 26 34 16 30 Too low 25 21 31 21 About right 36 31 41 35 Depends (vol.) 9 11 9 7 DK/NA 4 3 3 7
q6 How much have you heard or read about the recent efforts in many states to reduce state budget deficits by cutting the benefits of public employees -- a lot, some, not much or nothing at all? ** TOTAL RESPONDENTS ** *** Party ID *** Total Rep Dem Ind % % % % A lot 39 44 43 33 Some 33 37 32 32 Not much 20 15 20 23 Nothing 6 3 4 11 DK/NA 2 1 1 1 q7 In order to reduce state budget deficits, do you favor cutting the pay or benefits of public employees, or do you oppose that? IF FAVOR OR OPPOSE: Do you favor/oppose that strongly or somewhat? Favor strongly 17 30 7 17 Favor somewhat 20 23 14 23 Oppose strongly 29 21 36 28 Oppose somewhat 27 20 36 23 DK/NA 7 6 7 9 q8 In general, when governors and state legislators try to reduce the benefits of public employees, do you think they are doing this mostly to reduce state budget deficits or mostly to weaken the power of unions? Reduce budget deficits 45 59 39 41 Weaken the power of unions 41 24 49 45 DK/NA 14 17 12 14 q9 As you may know, collective bargaining refers to negotiations between an employer and a labor union's members to determine the conditions of employment. Some states are trying to take away some of the collective bargaining rights of public employee unions. Do you favor or oppose taking away some of the collective bargaining rights of these unions? IF FAVOR OR OPPOSE: Do you favor/oppose that strongly or somewhat? Favor strongly 18 30 8 18 Favor somewhat 15 21 12 15 Oppose strongly 38 25 50 35 Oppose somewhat 22 19 21 26 DK/NA 7 5 9 6 q10 Do you think police officers and firefighters should be able to retire after 25 years of service and begin collecting pension checks, even if they are in their forties or fifties, or should they have to be older than that to retire and collect pension checks regardless of the number of years they have served? Should be able to retire 49 47 50 51 Should have to be older 44 45 45 43 DK/NA 7 8 5 6
q11 Do you think teachers should be able to retire after a set period of service and begin collecting pension checks even if they are younger than 65 or shouldn't they? ** TOTAL RESPONDENTS ** *** Party ID *** Total Rep Dem Ind % % % % Should be able to retire 49 44 51 51 Shouldn't be able to retire 46 51 44 44 DK/NA 5 5 5 5 UNWEIGHTED WEIGHTED Total Respondents 984 Total Republicans 284 254 Total Democrats 344 354 Total Independents 356 376