Unions are at the forefront of how young workers think about their careers and their ability to support themselves with decent jobs. For the past several years, support for unions has reached an all-time high among American workers. More workers are voting in union elections, and nearly half a million workers went on strike in 2023 to push for better wages, including from automakers, studios, hospitals, and other employers. Throughout this time, young workers—members of Gen Z and younger millennials—have shown the highest support for unions out of every generation, consistently rating union approval higher than any other age group and leading in major organizing campaigns.
New data from Gallup shows that more than three-quarters of young Americans approve of unions. Seventy-seven percent of respondents age 34 and lower say they approve of labor unions—higher than any other age group—compared to 70 percent of respondents age 35 through 54 answering positively, and 66 percent of respondents over the age of 55 responding positively. These recent polling results reinforce findings from the Center from American Progress that shows Gen Z and Millennials are not only the most pro-union generations alive today, but even more pro-union than older Americans were at their age. Additionally, these pro-union attitudes among Gen Z and Millennial cross partisan divides.
The above excerpt was originally published in the Center for American Progress.
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