Gallup survey finds 71% of US residents approve of unions amid a wave of successful organizing efforts

A new Gallup annual Work and Education survey found that Americans’ approval of labor unions is at its highest point in nearly 60 years.

At 71%, residents of the US approve of unions at a higher rate than in 1965. Labor union support was at its highest in the 1950s, when three in four Americans said they approved, according to the polling firm.

Labor unions’ approval rate has been steadily climbing in recent years, from 64% before the pandemic to last year when it was at 68%.

The survey also found about one in six Americans live in a household where at least one resident belongs to a union.

Of the union members surveyed, 65% cited better pay and benefits as the top reason for joining a union. The second highest reason selected was employee rights and representation.

The news comes after a wave of successful union organizing efforts in industries across the country, such as food service, education, transportation, tech, media and others. Major corporations such as Amazon, Starbucks and Chipotle are seeing their workers form unions despite their best efforts to prevent such organizing efforts.

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