Data for Black America
Building a More Inclusive Agenda: A Survey of Congressional Priorities Across Race — Priorities for Workers and Learners
From job loss to food insecurity to housing issues to infection rates, the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic effects had a substantial, prolonged effect on Black households.1 While many of these inequities were prevalent before the pandemic, the global crisis exacerbated their effects on Black communities. As the economy rebounded, the nation has had record low unemployment,2 but Black communities continue to trail other racial groups in wages, employment, and other economic security measures.3
As Americans contend with high inflation and the rising costs of basic necessities,4 policies that advance opportunities and protections for workers and learners are both urgent and long term priorities. The 118th Congress can build on unprecedented investments in infrastructure and economic security by advancing policies that help families achieve a living wage and economic advancement. Fortunately, workforce development is an area capable of garnering bipartisan support.
To investigate beliefs about workforce related policies, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and NORC at the University of Chicago included questions about potential congressional priorities to advance opportunities and protections for workers and learners in a nationwide survey. The survey included responses from over 1,200 Black, Hispanic, white, multiracial, and Asian Americans. The data was collected online from Jan. 26 to 30, 2023, using NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak panel.
The survey asked how members of Congress should prioritize several issues, including those related to workers and learners. These issues included: expanding access to quality job training programs, paid family and medical leave, and affordable childcare; protecting the rights of workers to form or join a union; ensuring that employers pay wages that keep up with the cost of basic necessities; increasing the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour; and allowing students to use Pell grants to make short term training programs more affordable. On each of these topics, the survey asked respondents to identify whether the issue should be a top priority, an important but lower priority, not too important a priority, or something that should not be done.
Of the workers’ and learners’ priorities surveyed, ensuring employers’ pay wages keep up with the cost of basic necessities had the highest top priority rating at 73 percent. Only seven percent of the population surveyed believe that ensuring that employers pay wages that keep up with the cost of necessities should not be done. Aligning with employers’ wages keeping up with basic needs, most respondents (70 percent) believe that increasing the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour should be an important or top priority for Congress. Only eight percent of those surveyed believe that Congress should not increase the federal minimum wage.
On average, the preferences for prioritizing workers and learners varied by race and ethnicity. Passing legislation to ensure that employers pay wages that keep up with the cost of basic necessities was the top priority for Black respondents (67 percent) and Asian American/Pacific Islander, multiracial, other non-Hispanic respondents (54 percent). The top priority for white (47 percent) and Hispanic respondents (47 percent) was increasing the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.
Attitudes Toward Laws Improving Wages and Job Quality
Around three-quarters (73 percent) of respondents agree that ensuring employers pay wages to keep up with the cost of basic necessities should be an important or top priority for Congress. Black respondents (67 percent) were significantly more likely than any other racial or ethnic group to believe that ensuring that employers pay wages that keep up with the cost of necessities should be a top priority for Congress. Only seven percent of the population surveyed believe that Congress should not ensure employers pay wages that keep up with the cost of basic necessities. There are no significant differences according to income, education, gender, and age.
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100 percent, as some of the survey response options like “don’t know” or “no opinion” are not displayed in the chart above. The “Other/2+, NH” category refer to Asian American/Pacific Islander, multiracial, other non-Hispanic respondents.
Most respondents (70 percent) believe that increasing the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour should be an important or top priority for Congress. Black respondents (79 percent) and Asian-Pacific Islander, multiracial, other non-Hispanic respondents (77 percent) are more likely than white respondents (71 percent) and Hispanic respondents (61 percent) to believe that increasing the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour should be an important or top priority for Congress. Woman respondents (77 percent) are significantly more likely than men respondents (64 percent) to believe that increasing the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour should be an important or top priority for Congress. Only eight percent of those surveyed believe that Congress should not increase the federal minimum wage. There are no significant differences according to income, education, and age.
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100 percent, as some of the survey response options like “don’t know” or “no opinion” are not displayed in the chart above. The “Other/2+, NH” category refer to Asian American/Pacific Islander, multiracial, other non-Hispanic respondents.
About two-thirds (66 percent) of all respondents say that expanding access to paid family and medical leave should be an important or top priority for Congress. Black (79 percent) and Asian-Pacific Islander, multiracial, other non-Hispanic (74 percent) respondents are significantly more likely than white respondents (65 percent) to believe that expanding access to paid family and medical leave should be an important or top priority for Congress. Women (72 percent) are significantly more likely than men (60 percent) to think that Congress should expand access to paid family and medical leave. Respondents who earn between $60,000 and $100,000 (75 percent) are more likely than any other income group to say that expanding access to paid family and medical leave should be an important or top priority for Congress. Only eight percent of those surveyed said that Congress should not expand access to paid family and medical leave. There are no significant differences according to age and education.
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100 percent, as some of the survey response options like “don’t know” or “no opinion” are not displayed in the chart above. The “Other/2+, NH” category refer to Asian American/Pacific Islander, multiracial, other non-Hispanic respondents.
Over two-thirds (68 percent) of all respondents say that expanding access to affordable childcare should be an important or top priority for Congress. Black (73 percent) and Asian-Pacific Islander, multiracial, other non-Hispanic (79 percent) respondents are significantly more likely than white (68 percent) and Hispanic (58 percent) respondents to believe that expanding access to affordable childcare should be an important or top priority for Congress. Women (74 percent) are more likely than men (62 percent) to think that Congress should expand access to affordable childcare. Respondents who are at least 60 years old (77 percent) are more likely than any other age group to say that expanding access to affordable childcare should be an important or top priority for Congress. Only eight percent of those surveyed said that Congress should not expand access to affordable childcare. There are no significant differences according to income and education.
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100 percent, as some of the survey response options like “don’t know” or “no opinion” are not displayed in the chart above. The “Other/2+, NH” category refer to Asian American/Pacific Islander, multiracial, other non-Hispanic respondents.
Attitudes Toward Protecting Workers' Rights
Protecting the Rights of Workers to Form or Join a Union Sixty percent of all respondents said that Congress should protect the rights of workers to form or join a union. Black respondents (71 percent) are significantly more likely than white respondents (59 percent) to believe that protecting the rights of workers to form or join a union should be an important or top priority for Congress. Respondents who earn at least a bachelor’s degree (63 percent) are more likely than any other education group to say that protecting the rights of workers to form or join a union should be an important or top priority for Congress. Only eight percent of those surveyed said that Congress should not protect the rights of workers to form or join a union. There are no significant differences according to income, gender, and age.
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100 percent, as some of the survey response options like “don’t know” or “no opinion” are not displayed in the chart above. The “Other/2+, NH” category refer to Asian American/Pacific Islander, multiracial, other non-Hispanic respondents.
Attitudes Toward Legislation on Job Training
Over 70 percent of all respondents say that expanding access to quality job training programs should be an important or top priority for Congress. Just 62 percent of Hispanic respondents say that expanding access to quality job training programs should be an important or top priority for Congress, which is lower support for expanding access to quality job training programs when compared to Black (76 percent), Asian-Pacific Islander, multiracial, other non-Hispanic (74 percent), and white (72 percent) respondents. Respondents with at least a bachelor's degree (76 percent) and those at least 60 years old (81 percent) were significantly more likely than respondents with no high school diploma (62 percent) and respondents ages 18 to 29 years old (56 percent) to say that expanding access to quality job training programs should be an important or top priority for Congress. Only five percent of those surveyed said that Congress should not expand access to quality job training programs. There were no significant differences according to income and gender.
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100 percent, as some of the survey response options like “don’t know” or “no opinion” are not displayed in the chart above. The “Other/2+, NH” category refer to Asian American/Pacific Islander, multiracial, other non-Hispanic respondents.
Almost two-thirds of respondents (64 percent) believe that allowing students to use Pell grants to make short term programs more affordable should be an important or top priority for Congress. Black respondents (74 percent) and Asian-Pacific Islander, multiracial, other non-Hispanic respondents (73 percent) are more likely than white respondents (64 percent) and Hispanic respondents (58 percent) to believe that allowing students to use Pell grants to make short term programs more affordable should be an important or top priority for Congress. Women (68 percent) are slightly more likely than men (61 percent) to believe that allowing students to use Pell grants to make short term programs more affordable should be an important or top priority for Congress. Only four percent of those surveyed believe that Congress should not allow students to use Pell grants to make short term training programs more affordable. There are no significant differences according to income, education, and age.
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100 percent, as some of the survey response options like “don’t know” or “no opinion” are not displayed in the chart above. The “Other/2+, NH” category refer to Asian American/Pacific Islander, multiracial, other non-Hispanic respondents.
This blog post is a part of a series under our Data for Black America Project. Forthcoming blog posts will analyze survey data related to respondents’ attitudes towards tax policy and regulating technology policy.
Methodology
The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and NORC at the University of Chicago staff collaborated on this study. NORC fielded the survey using its AmeriSpeak® panel. Interviews for this survey were conducted between Jan. 26-30, 2023. The survey included 1,231 adults across the country. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.2 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level among all adults. The Omnibus survey is administered in mixed mode; (online) web (CAWI) and phone (CATI). About 90 percent of the interviews and conducted online and about 10 percent are conducted by phone.
Funded and operated by NORC at the University of Chicago, AmeriSpeak® is a probability-based panel designed to be representative of the U.S. household population. Randomly selected U.S. households are sampled using area probability and address-based sampling, with a known, non-zero probability of selection from the NORC National Sample Frame. These sampled households are then contacted by U.S. mail, telephone, and field interviewers (face to face). The panel provides sample coverage of approximately 97 percent of the U.S. household population. Those excluded from the sample include people with P.O. Box only addresses, some addresses not listed in the USPS Delivery Sequence File, and some newly constructed dwellings. While most AmeriSpeak households participate in surveys by web, non-internet households can participate in AmeriSpeak surveys by telephone. Households without conventional internet access but having web access via smartphones are allowed to participate in AmeriSpeak surveys by web. AmeriSpeak panelists participate in NORC studies or studies conducted by NORC on behalf of governmental agencies, academic researchers, and media and commercial organizations. For more information, email AmeriSpeak-BD@norc.org or visit AmeriSpeak.norc.org.
1 https://www.epi.org/publication/black-workers-covid/
2 https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2023/16-states-were-at-all-time-low-unemployment-rates-in-july-2023.htm#:~:text=TED%3A%20The%20Economics%20Daily&text=New%20Hampshire%20had%20the%20lowest,and%20Vermont%2C%201.8%20percent%20each.
3 United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2023, April 7Sep 1). Monthly Table: Employment Status by race and Hispanic ethnicity – March-Aug 2023. https://www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cpseea04.pdf. Black worker employment rate was 5.3% compared to 3.24% for white workers.
4 https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2023/consumer-price-index-2022-in-review.htm
