Americans believe minimum wage workers should get 35 percent raise

World Today

Creative Commons photo by The All-Nite Images via Flickr

WASHINGTON – A new CCTV America poll released today shows that Americans believe the federal minimum wage in the United States should be set at just below $10 per hour, an increase of 35 percent over the current level.

The U.S. federal minimum wage of $7.25 has not changed since July 2009. While 23 states and Washington, D.C. have set minimum wage levels higher than the federal level, the majority of minimum-wage workers in the U.S. earn the federal amount.

CCTV America commissioned the poll, conducted online by Google Consumer Surveys, and found that Americans believe the federal minimum wage should be an average of $9.81.

Respondents living in urban areas said the federal minimum wage should be an average of $10.50, while those in rural areas proposed an average of $9. Suburban dwellers said the minimum wage should be $9.50.

Those in living in Western U.S. states proposed the highest minimum wage of $10.90. They were followed by Northeast residents who proposed $9.80, Midwesterners who proposed $9.60, and Southerners who proposed an average minimum wage of $9.30.

Most Americans say min. wage should increase

The survey was conducted Oct. 29-31 of 2,024 respondents. Results for 1,452 responses were weighted for region, age, and gender, with a root-mean-square deviation (RMSE) score of 2.5 percent. The results are reported at a confidence level of 95 percent.

While most of the poll results were statistically significant, data from the poll reveals other interesting insights about Americans’ opinions, that due to a small sample size, were not classified as statistically significant:

  • The respondents who earned the most money believe the minimum wage should be higher than respondents who make less money. Those surveyed who earned between $100,000-$149,999 said the minimum was should be $10.60, while people who earned less than $50,000 said the minimum wage should be $9.70.
  • Male respondents believed the minimum wage should be $9.70, while females believed the minimum wage should be $10.00.
  • Those surveyed between the ages of 35-44 proposed the highest minimum wage of $10.20, followed by 25-34 year olds who said $10.10, 18-24 year olds who reported $9.90, 45-54 year olds who said $9.80, those 65 or older who said $9.70, and 55-64 year olds who reported $9.40.