These poll numbers were released earlier today by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."
67% Disapprove of Legislators Fleeing Wisconsin to Avoid Vote
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Half of America's voters favor public sector unions for government workers, but they strongly oppose the tactic by Wisconsin state senators to flee their state to prevent a vote that would limit the rights of such unions.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that only 25% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of this tactic, while 67% disapprove. State legislators in Indiana have used the same approach to avoid a vote in their state. (To see survey question wording, click here. )
Sizable majorities of Republicans and voters not affiliated with either major party reject such a strategy. Democrats are fairly evenly divided, with 48% approving and 44% disapproving.
Until the Democratic senators return, there will not be quorum allowing a vote on Republican Governor Scott Walker's proposal to have public employees pay more for their health and pension benefits and to limit their collective bargaining rights. The Republican majorities in both chambers of the Wisconsin legislature are expected to pass the governor's proposal which has been the subject of major protests in the state for several days now.
Voters continue to be closely divided over the question of public employee unions themselves. Fifty percent (50%) at least somewhat favor such unions, while 44% oppose them. These figures include 25% who Strongly Favor the unions and 25% who are Strongly Opposed.
Last month in a survey of American Adults as opposed to Likely Voters, 45% supported public employee unions, while 45% opposed them. Support for the unions was down from 53% in May of last year .
Eighty-one percent (81%) of Democrats now favor public employee unions, while 66% of Republicans and 54% of unaffiliated voters oppose them.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on February 22-23, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC . See methodology.
Sixty-one percent (61%) of all voters believe that members of public employee unions should contribute the same percentage to their health care and pension plans as those in the private sector pay. Only 16% disagree, but another 23% are not sure.
Sixty-six percent (66%) of GOP voters and 76% of unaffiliateds think union members should contribute as much as those in the private sector. A plurality (43%) of Democrats disagrees.
Forty-seven percent (47%) of voters nationwide now support Walker, virtually unchanged from earlier this week . Forty-two percent (42%) support the unions for teachers and other state employees in the standoff, up from 38% in the previous survey. Eleven percent (11%) remain undecided.
Seventy-five percent (75%) of Republicans and 53% of voters not affiliated with either of the major political parties agree with the governor. Seventy-nine percent (79%) of Democrats side with the union workers.
Walker has demanded concessions from the unions "to avoid thousands of government layoffs as the state grapples with a $137 million shortfall in its current budget and a projected $3.6 billion hole in the next two-year budget," according to the Associated Press. The governor has excluded public safety employees such as firemen and policemen from his proposal. Democrats oppose Walker's plan because, according to the New York Times, it would " weaken unions by limiting collective bargaining for state employees and many local employees, including teachers, to base wages, and would require workers to pay more for pensions and health care."
Earlier polls have found that 50% of voters nationwide would favor reducing their state payroll by 10% over 10 years . Support for a similar reduction among federal employees is even higher .
Polls also show that voters think government workers are paid more than their private sector counterparts but don't work as hard and have better job security .
Earlier this week, 36% of voters said that in their state the average public employee earns more than the average private sector worker. Twenty-one percent (21%) said the government employee earns less, while 20% think their pay is about the same. Twenty-three percent (23%) were not sure.