New York Voters Across the State Demand a Higher Minimum Wage
By Anika Dandekar
U.S. workers are struggling to keep up with monthly expenses, especially with a 40-year-high increase in the cost-of-living. The federal minimum wage has not increased in over a decade, and is worth less now than it was 60 years ago. As congressional attempts to raise it fall flat year after year due to conservative pushback, workers look to their state governments for a lifeline.
Previous Data for Progress polling found New York voters of all backgrounds support a bill to raise the state’s minimum wage yearly to keep up with the rising cost of living. New Data for Progress polling of 761 likely New York voters shows that higher-than-ever numbers of New Yorkers in regions throughout the state — including the Mid-Hudson Valley, the Finger Lakes, Western New York, Long Island, and New York City — are enthusiastic about raising New York’s minimum wage to more than $20 an hour, and automatically adjusting it to keep up with the rising cost of living going forward.
New York Voters of All Regions and Parties Want a Higher Minimum Wage
We asked voters if they support or oppose a proposed new law to gradually raise New York's minimum wage over three years until it reaches $21.25 in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester, and $20 in upstate New York by 2026. The proposal would also adjust the wage each year so that it keeps up with increases in the cost of living. New York voters support the proposal by a +64-point margin, including Democrats by a +81-point margin, Independents by a +69-point margin, and Republicans by a +35-point margin. This record-high support holds among at least two-thirds of voters of every region represented.
Over two-thirds of New York voters (70 percent) believe that workers in the state need to earn at least $20 an hour in order to live at a decent level. This includes 78 percent of Democrats, 67 percent of Independents, and 60 percent of Republicans. Sixty-one percent of voters living in the Finger Lakes, 68 percent in Long Island, 76 percent in the Mid-Hudson Valley, 79 percent of voters in New York City, and 64 percent in Western New York also say that workers in the state need to earn at least $20 an hour to live at a decent level.
Over three-quarters (76 percent) of New York voters, including 86 percent of Democrats, 77 percent of Independents, and 60 percent of Republicans, think the state’s minimum wage should be automatically adjusted to increases in cost of living each year, rather than increasing only when the state legislature passes a new law. A majority of voters in regions across New York also support automatically raising the minimum wage each year.
We also asked if state lawmakers should pass a law allowing New York City to set its own minimum wage higher than that of the state. Two-thirds of New York voters (66 percent), including 83 percent of Democrats, 62 percent of Independents, and 43 percent of Republicans, would support such a bill. Over three-quarters of voters in New York City (81 percent); wide majorities of voters in the Finger Lakes, Long Island, and Mid-Hudson Valley; and a plurality (48 percent) of voters in Western New York would support this proposal.
Conclusion
The value of New York’s minimum wage has already depreciated in value by about 15 percent due to cost of living increases; raising it would alleviate the hardships of working families across the state and decrease poverty. This survey’s findings make clear that a move to increase wages, and increase them yearly to keep up with the cost of living, is incredibly popular with every demographic in New York. As the state begins its 2023 legislative session, it behooves elected officials to do what the voters who put them into office not just desire, but desperately need: establish a decent, living wage.
Anika Dandekar (@AnikaDandekar) is a senior analyst at Data for Progress.