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SALT LAKE CITY — Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say they are part of the working class. And Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say they are union members.
Unions still enjoy broad support in the U.S., but there are some partisan differences.
It is not a novel observation to note a shift in who says they are part of the working class. The year 2012 was the high point for Democrats who identified as part of the working class (49%), according to Gallup. Twelve years later in 2024, 35% of Democrats identify that way. But a near-majority of Republicans say they are working class now. Another poll taken in 2024 of 8,638 U.S. adults found 62% of Republicans and 48% of Democrats say they are working class.
But there is another trend — changes in party affiliation and union membership.
At least 71,114 adults were surveyed each year since 2017 by Morning Consult. When the polling first started in 2017, 40% of union members said they were Democrats and 30% said they were Republicans. By 2023, those numbers shifted — a very slight majority (51% — 1% margin of error) of union members said they were Democrats and only 23% said they were Republicans.
In fact, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows union membership has hit a low point since 1985. It used to be 20% then, but it's dropped to around 10%. Gallup data shows the majority of workers are not interested at all in joining a union.
So, why then do unions have broad support?
There is polling data showing more specifically why people support union — the functions of unions that they feel are important. When asked to select the most important reasons for joining a labor union, two got more than 50% support: better pay and benefits as well as employee representation.
The four reasons that were selected the least (25% or less) were improving the work environment, fairness and equality at work, health and safety, and positive effect on the country, according to Gallup.
Why some people don't want to join unions
Survey data that explains why Americans are not joining unions isn't common. But there is one survey that explores these attitudes more. American Compass, a right-leaning think tank, in partnership with YouGov, surveyed 3,000 working-age adults in the U.S. about their attitudes toward unions.
When asked why American workers vote against labor unions, 75% said union political activity, 73% said member dues and 66% said union corruption. The sample size for this particular question was small (141).
More potential union member respondents (523) answered a question about what political issues they wanted unions to speak out on. No issue was ranked more than 45% — workplace health and safety. Minimum wage and social security/retirement were the only other issues to receive more than 40%.
The union activity most important to American workers was collective bargaining followed by benefits and training. Politics and social activism were considered the least important.
Union members (34%) were more likely than non-union members (26%) to say they want their unions to engage in national politics and workplace issues. The sample size on this question was more than 2,000. Seventy-four percent of all potential union members said they wanted unions to focus on workplace issues only.
More broadly, this polling data also showed middle- and upper-class Democrats had the most favorable views of labor unions whereas lower- and working-class adults had less favorable views.
"Most lower- and working-class Americans also say they either want politicians to ignore labor unions or don't care what politicians say; when it comes to specific organizing efforts though, the vast majority of workers say that politicians should support the effort, including majorities of lower- and working-class Republicans," said the report.
Approval or disapproval depends on union type
Since Gallup started tracking public opinion on approval of labor unions, there has been only one year where a majority of Republicans said they approved of labor unions and that was 2022. In 2024, Republican approval sits at 49% while the overwhelming majority of Democrats at 94% say they approve of labor unions. The majority of Democrats have supported labor unions since 2002.
Republicans have more variance on the kinds of unions they support compared to Democrats, according to a 2024 YouGov poll of 1,130 U.S. adults (4% margin of error).
For all types of unions listed (labor, auto workers, actors, electricians, firefighters, postal workers, etc.), Democrats supported them at rates higher than 65% — that is, except for police unions, which received 58%.
Unions for firefighters, nurses, electricians, construction workers, railroad workers and police were the only ones the majority of Republicans said they favorably viewed.
Actors, journalists, screenwriters, university instructors and government employees unions had particularly low approval rating among Republicans. Other survey data from Pew Research shows a majority of Republicans (61%) say unions have a negative impact on the country (conservatives are even more likely to say that at 69%). The majority of Democrats think unions have a positive impact on the country.
Even the majority of Republicans who are not college graduates say the reduction in unions has been good for the country, according to Pew. That is significantly higher than both the total average of people surveyed (39%) and Democrats (30%).
What about the working class?
The Progressive Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank, commissioned a report in partnership with YouGov aimed at better understanding the working class. This report shed light on what the working class thinks of unions.
Sixty-eight percent said the Democratic Party is heavily influenced by special interests like public sector unions, environmental activists and academics. Only 1% of respondents said the most significant challenge facing the U.S. economy today was not enough workers are unionized.
When working-class voters were asked to choose what would help working people the most: a federal government push for stronger labor unions, student loan forgiveness for college students or more public investment in apprenticeships and career pathways to help non-college workers acquire better skills, only 15% said a push for labor unions.
