Americans overwhelmingly think that ordinary workers don't get enough recognition for their work, though most still think that the US is a good place to be a worker
For the past one hundred and twenty years the first Monday in September has been a federal holiday, Labor Day, that celebrates the achievements of the labor movement and the contributions of working Americans towards the nation's prosperity. Traditionally the day is marked with parades by labor unions, but as unions have decreased in strength the union focus of the holiday has diminished and this year will be the first where non-unionized workers will march in the New York City Labor Day Parade.
The latest research from YouGov shows that the vast majority of Americans (69%) think that ordinary workers don't get enough recognition for the work that they do. Americans take this view even though just 44% describe themselves as "ordinary workers". Only 18% of the public think that workers get enough recognition, while 2% think they get too much.
People tend to think that managers (44%) and business owners (36%) get about the right amount of recognition. 29% of Americans, including 44% of Democrats, think that business owners get too much recognition for their work. Asked what they consider themselves to be, 11% of Americans say that they are managers and 9% say that they are business owners. Another 36% say that they are 'something else'.
Despite the sense that America doesn't properly honor the contributions of working people, most Americans (55%) think that the US is a good place to be an ordinary worker, though 34% say that the US is a bad place to be a worker. Only 12% say that the US is a bad place to be a manager, while 17% say that the US is a bad place to be a business owner.
Full poll results can be found here.
Image: PA
