Americans have record-high positive views of labor unions while sentiment toward big business has dropped to a record low, according to a new analysis of November 2024 survey data.
Favorability toward labor unions and big business rose and fell together from 1964 to 2012, according to surveys by American National Election Studies (ANES). But in recent years Americans have warmed to unions and cooled toward big business.
ANES asked nearly 5,000 U.S. residents to rate their feelings toward unions, big business, and other groups on a scale of 0 to 100, with 0 being very negative, 50 being neutral, and 100 being very positive. In 2024, the average rating for labor unions hit a new high of 60, while big business hit a low of 44.
The survey results were analyzed by labor economist Aaron Sojourner and sociology professor Adam Reich in a May report published by the Economic Policy Institute, a union-allied think tank.
Views of unions and big business vary among races, genders, political groups, and education levels. More-educated Americans are becoming more pro-union, the report found. Americans with a bachelor’s degree historically supported big business more than labor unions, while those with less formal education favored unions. But since 2016, college-educated Americans have become more pro-union than those with less education. Women have typically been more pro-union and less pro-big business than men. And Black Americans have consistently been more pro-union than Hispanic, white, or other non-white Americans.
The 2024 results also show that all political groups — liberals, moderates, conservatives, and “don’t knows” — are more pro-union than ever. Self-described conservatives are the only group to view business more positively than unions, but that gap is narrowing.
