Voters Across Party Lines Overwhelmingly Support a Federal Paid Leave Program
By Sabrina Jacobs
Paid leave was dropped from the budget reconciliation bill last year, but Democrats are determined to put it back on the table. The U.S. is the only industrialized country that doesn’t guarantee a single day of paid sick or parental leave. In countries like Sweden, a single parent is entitled to 480 days of parental leave when a child is born or adopted, and in the Netherlands, employees who fall ill receive 70 percent of their last earned wages for a maximum period of two years.
The lack of federal paid leave in the United States disproportionately affects lower-wage workers, who too often do not receive paid sick and parental leave from their employers. Without paid leave, employees can’t care for themselves or their families to the best of their ability. Furthermore, if extenuating circumstances force workers to take time off, they risk losing necessary income.
Data for Progress finds 79 percent of voters support a federal paid leave program, including 92 percent of Democrats, 74 percent of Independents, and 72 percent of Republicans. Voters who have taken unpaid leave in the past year are more likely to support a federal paid leave program (86 percent) than those who haven’t (78 percent).
Data for Progress also finds voters overwhelmingly support paid leave under various circumstances. Eighty-nine percent of voters support a federal paid leave program so workers can recover from their own serious illness or health condition, and 87 percent are in favor of paid leave to allow workers to care for a disabled or seriously ill family member. Eighty-three percent of voters support federal paid leave to ensure that workers can care for a new child.
Of course, when creating a federal paid leave program, the question arises of who will pay for it. Data for Progress finds 38 percent of voters are in favor of financing paid leave with a shared payroll contribution between workers and employers. This includes 38 percent of Democrats, 40 percent of Independents, and 37 percent of Republicans. Meanwhile, 32 percent of voters support the federal government paying for the program, including 40 percent of Democrats, 32 percent of Independents, and 24 percent of Republicans. Smaller portions think employers only (12 percent) or workers only (3 percent) should fund paid leave.
To incentivize employers to offer their employees paid leave, lawmakers have proposed giving them federal tax credits. Seventy-four percent of voters are in favor of federal tax credits for employers who offer paid leave, including 85 percent of Democrats, 71 percent of Independents, and 67 percent of Republicans. Of voters who have taken unpaid leave, 82 percent are in favor of giving federal tax credits to employers, compared to 73 percent of voters who have not taken unpaid leave.
Our findings clearly show that voters across party lines can come together on the issue of federal paid leave. It’s crucial that workers have the ability to take care of themselves and their families without worrying about how they will be able to afford food or pay their rent. If other countries can figure out a federal paid leave program, there is no reason for the United States government to fall short and leave workers to fend for themselves. The government must prioritize the health and safety of employees so they can work to the best of their abilities without sacrificing their own well-being.
Sabrina Jacobs (@bri_jacobs) is a staff writer at Data for Progress.