Raising the minimum wage is a popular cause in America, with around 70 percent of the public saying a move to about $10 an hour would be right. A higher wage floor, not surprisingly, is somewhat less popular with American small-business owners, according to a recent survey conducted by Vistage in cooperation with the Wall Street Journal.
Overall, small-business owners are split about 50-50 on the subject of a higher federal minimum, with a very slight majority in the poll saying they are opposed:
However, if you restrict your attention to the owners of the smallest businesses, with less than $4 million in revenue, you see majority support for a wage hike:
Business owners at least claim this is not a matter of direct self-interest, with the vast majority of small-business owners reporting that they do not employ any minimum-wage workers:
Research indicates that wealthy people in general are much more skeptical of minimum wage increases than the population at large, so small-business owners' views may reflect general affluence rather than any specific concern about their workforce.
Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?
Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple of big issues with relying on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on:
First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.
Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. And we can’t do that if we have a paywall.
So even though advertising is still our biggest source of revenue, we also seek grants and reader support. (And no matter how our work is funded, we have strict guidelines on editorial independence.)
If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today? Any amount helps.
Yes, I'll give $5/month
Yes, I'll give $5/month
We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and
Google Pay. You can also contribute via