Americans overwhelmingly side with unionized auto workers in their lifetimes An ongoing strike against major car companiesnew CNN poll conducted by SSRS Many find that elected officials should stay out of labor disputes.
Asked about the current United Auto Workers union strike Against General Motors, Ford and Stellantis (which sell under the Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Chrysler brands), Americans side nearly 3-to-1 with union members: 76% say their sympathies lie more with striking workers, with just 23% siding with their employers.
Among the nearly half of US adults who feel strongly about a strike, pro-labor sentiment is more mixed: 43% of all Americans stand strongly on the side of workers, and only 8% on the side of employers. Support for striking workers is particularly strong among Democrats (56% strongly sympathize), members of union households (57%), and self-described liberals (61%).
While Democrats of all stripes side overwhelmingly with the striking workers, there are sharper divisions within the Republican Party. Republicans in households with incomes of less than $50,000 a year and those under 45 are much more likely than older Republicans and those who earn $100,000 or more to say their sympathies are on the side of auto workers, with a smaller gap among those who don’t. They have a college degree and those who have graduated from college.
However, a 66% majority of the public says elected officials should generally stay out of disputes between private-sector employers and labor unions, with 28% saying elected officials should intervene on behalf of unionized workers, while only 6% saying they should Intervene in the matter. For the benefit of employers. While most Republicans and Democrats overall say elected officials should not get involved in labor disputes, there are pockets of the Democratic base more inclined to favor intervening on behalf of strikers: nearly half of self-described liberals (53%). Those with college degrees (52%) and those under 45 (48%) in the Democratic Party say elected officials should step in to help workers.
President Joe BidenWho joined the striking auto workers On the picket line in Michigan Last month, he received a 41% approval rating among the general public for his handling of recent labor disputes, and 39% approved of the way he handled helping the middle class. Its performance was slightly better among unionized households, which gave it a 47% rating in dealing with labor disputes, and a 45% rating in helping the middle class.
It was the aftermath of the United Auto Workers union strike Relatively limited For American consumers so far. The strike was strategic and targeted, and the majority of unionized auto workers remain on their jobs. This means that most cars made by the Big Three remain available, even if some options such as colors are limited. Meanwhile, vehicle inventory remains high. Many cars are now cheaper than they were before the strike began a month ago – especially Electric carwhich has been the most controversial market segment in the current negotiations.
Widespread public sympathy for the work comes against the backdrop of… Widespread economic unrest in the country. 75% of US adults say it’s harder for people like them to get ahead financially than it was a generation ago, with 18% saying things haven’t really changed and just 7% saying things have gotten easier. The feeling that things are getting more difficult is shared by nearly three-quarters of the public across age, gender and education groups, with a relatively small gap even across household income groups. There is a more pronounced racial divide, with 79% of white Americans saying things have become more difficult financially, compared to 68% of Americans of color who feel the same. This pessimism is most concentrated among white Americans without college degrees, and is particularly acute among white women without college degrees, with 87% of them saying things have become more difficult.
There are also relatively large partisan gaps: while 70% of Democrats say things have become more difficult financially, that number rises to 82% among Republicans – and to nearly 90% among voters aligned with Republicans who support the former. President Donald Trump As the 2024 Republican Party presidential nominee.
Biden’s overall job approval rating was 41% when the field poll was conducted in early October, little changed from where he stands over the course of the year. He performed similarly or worse on his handling of a range of other issues, including foreign affairs (39%), the federal budget (36%), the economy (36%), and immigration (32%). Biden received a slightly higher approval rating of 45% for protecting American democracy, with both Democrats (87% approving) and independents (41% approving) giving him higher ratings on this topic than on any other issue tested.
Despite Biden’s unpopularity, Americans are largely opposed to him Republican efforts to impeach himWhile 57% said that they do not feel that the president should be impeached and removed from office. Most Democrats (93%) and independents (59%) oppose impeaching Trump, as do 20% of Republicans. A 64% majority of Americans say the GOP-led House committees investigating Biden are mostly using investigations for political gain, compared with 36% who say they are mostly conducting substantive investigations.
The CNN poll was conducted by SSRS from October 4-9 among a random national sample of 1,255 adults selected from a probability-based panel. Surveys were conducted either online or by telephone with a live interviewer. Results among the full sample have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
CNN’s Jennifer Aguesta and David Goldman contributed to this report.
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