Summary
Support for increased workers' rights is high, but much lower when pitted against concerns about inflation. Two messages show promise at increasing support for new workers' rights and protections.
This research was conducted in partnership with Strategic Victory Fund.
Background
This week examined the economy through the lens of working conditions and workers' rights,a third installment on economic topics. The urgency stems from pro-worker provisions in the Build Back Better bill and recent tornado disasters that highlighted how better worker protections could save lives.
Public polling typically shows strong support for worker-benefiting policies including minimum wage increases, paid family leave, and corporate abuse protections. Yet many legislative bodies have failed to pursue or pass such measures.
Top Findings
Two messages demonstrated promise for increasing support for improved worker conditions:
- "Trust" moved lower-income respondents by 11 percentage points by reflecting corporate distrust and governmental skepticism
- "Full time" moved support among 35-54-year-old respondents by 16 points using Merit values and hard work appeals for minimum wage increases
Audience Understanding Survey
The survey launched December 13th, asking 786 people about workers' rights:
"Workers' rights in the US should be increased, even if it makes it harder for businesses to produce the goods and services we need."
Results showed 65% agreement versus 12% disagreement. Opponents of increased worker rights scored high in Merit values, defining fairness through hard work and achievement rather than equality. Some cited consumer costs or questioned the need for parental leave.
Rapid Message Test
Five distinct messages were developed and tested across 1,201 respondents randomly assigned to message groups or placebo:
- "Front line workers", Centers pandemic workers deserving recognition
- "Trust", Expresses skepticism of corporations and need for government regulation
- "Family", Story of worker providing for dependents
- "Full time", Uses Merit values appealing for minimum wage increases
- "Backwards", Presents facts through Merit, nostalgia, and patriotism values
The outcome question asked respondents to choose between government focusing solely on inflation or improving worker conditions immediately.
Results
The placebo group showed 42% supported improving worker conditions versus 58% prioritizing inflation reduction.
General Population: No messages achieved statistically significant topline results, though "Trust" and "Full time" showed five-point improvements.
Lower-income households (below $50,000): "Trust" increased support by a statistically significant 11 points.
Ages 35-54: "Full time" increased support by 16 percentage points.
Based on subgroup effectiveness, researchers recommend further iteration and testing of "Trust" and "Full time" messaging.
Appendix: Full Messages
Front Line Workers
"The front line workers who kept Americans safe, fed, and protected during the worst months of the pandemic are struggling right now. They worked long and hard to look out for the needs of their neighbors, and yet they continue to be underserved and exploited. Their hard work is what kept this country afloat during one of its darkest chapters. It's time their rights and protections were prioritized over profits and supply chains. They've earned it."
Trust
"It's sad, but I've learned you can't trust big corporations to do the right thing. Not on their own. They'll hold back pay raises, they'll skip safety trainings. They won't even give workers bathroom breaks unless they're forced to. I don't want to rely on the government, but at this point I think we need them to pass a whole new set of rules for workers. We need pay raises, reasonable vacation time, and safe working conditions, and we need them right now."
Family
"I'm grateful to have work, but, you know, I have people to take care of. There's nothing more important than taking care of my family. There's a lot of folks here like me, working but not really providing. Maybe I could go find another job, but I'm not sure it'll be better somewhere else. I know there's no guarantees in life, but it would sure be nice if I earned enough working full time to raise my family right."
Full Time
"I thought when I started my new job I'd finally feel secure because it's full time. But because I make minimum wage, it still isn't enough. People say if we raise wages, prices might go up and no one wants that. I get that, but the thing is, people like me can't even afford prices as they are now. I'm living paycheck to paycheck despite working hard. I don't want much, just to feel safe. Right now, I'm one bad day away from not being able to make rent. The minimum wage has to be a living wage."
Backwards
"It's been over a decade since the last minimum wage increase. Record numbers of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. These are the people that are hurt most by inflation. Meanwhile, the stock market is doing great. Shareholders are seeing their assets grow faster than ever. Somehow, America has gone backwards. Rather than expanding the ability for people to work their way up in society, we've made it easier for those at the top to accumulate more and more, while the rest struggle to stay afloat. To begin restoring the American Dream, improving workers' rights is an urgent priority."
Key Experiment Details
- Audience: All adults, balanced on age, race, and gender
- Geography: United States
- Sample size (raw/weighted): 1,201 / 1,197
- Date in field: Wednesday, December 15, 2021
- Weighting factors: Age, race, gender, education, and party