<http://typology.people-press.org/data/index.php?QuestionID=25>
An increase in the minimum wage, from $5.15 an hour to $6.45 an hour
86% support 12% oppose
(and broadly across almost all their demographic typologies)
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Four Out of Five Americans Say the Minimum Wage Should Be Increased by a Dollar or More
* A January 2002 poll by Lake Snell Perry & Associates for the Ms. Foundation found that 77 percent of likely voters surveyed support raising the minimum wage from $5.15 to $8 per hour. Some 79 percent of likely voters support regular increases in the minimum wage to address the effect of inflation on the real value of the minimum wage.
* A November 2001 survey conducted by Techno Metrica Institute of Policy and Politics for Investor's Business Daily and The Christian Science Monitor found that 75 percent of the survey respondents supported raising the minimum wage as a way to stimulate the economy.
* An October 2001 survey by the Gallup Organization for Gallup, CNN and USA Today found that 81 percent of the respondents supported an increase in the minimum wage.
* A survey conducted in January and February 2001 by National Public Radio, the Kaiser Family Foundation and Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government found that 85 percent of Americans support raising the minimum wage.
* In a January 2001 poll by Peter D. Hart Research Associates Inc., 83 percent of respondents favored increasing the minimum wage by $1. When asked to imagine that they could vote on issues on Election Day, 82 percent of respondents in an October 2000 Gallup Poll said they would vote to raise the minimum wage by $1.
<http://poll.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=20710>
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<http://poll.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=20710>
January 04, 2006 Public Solidly Supports Increase in Minimum Wage More than 8 in 10 favor congressional legislation
by Jeffrey M. Jones
GALLUP NEWS SERVICE PRINCETON, NJ -- Democratic Party leaders are making increases in the minimum wage a priority in Congress and on state ballot initiatives this year. Congress has not raised the wage since it increased it to $5.15 per hour in 1997, though many states have enacted higher minimum wages since that time. A recent Gallup Poll shows continued strong support for raising the minimum wage. When asked what the current minimum wage is, Americans' average estimate is considerably higher than the current federal minimum wage.
Increasing the Minimum Wage
A Nov. 7-10 Gallup Poll finds 83% of Americans in favor of "Congress passing legislation that would raise the minimum wage." Only 14% say they would oppose such legislation.
Gallup usually finds high levels of support for raising the minimum wage. Over the past two decades, public support for raising the minimum wage has consistently exceeded 75%.
Most subgroups show majority support for a wage increase, but the actual level of support varies. For example, 93% of Democrats favor raising the wage, compared with 80% of independents and 74% of Republicans.
Support also varies by one's household income: those at the lower end of the economic spectrum are more likely to support an increase.
A closer look at the data shows that income and partisanship interact to some degree. Democrats are nearly unanimous in their support for raising the minimum wage, regardless of their household incomes. However, among Republicans and independents, support generally declines as household incomes increase.
Assessments of the Current Situation
The poll asked Americans to guess what the current minimum wage is. The average estimate is $6.09 per hour, compared with the current federal minimum wage of $5.15. Thirteen percent of Americans estimated $5.15, 4% gave estimates below that number, and 78% gave estimates above it.
It can be tricky to assess the accuracy of Americans' estimates since the minimum wage varies by state. For example, in New York and California, the minimum wage is $6.75 per hour. This issue can be controlled to some extent by looking just at respondents who reside in states where the minimum wage is $5.15 (or in some cases, less). Specifically, 77% of residents of these states give estimates above $5.15, and the average estimate is $5.84. For comparison purposes, 92% of those living in states that have minimum wages above the federal standard give an estimate higher than $5.15, and the average estimate for residents of these states is $6.48.