CHICAGO - The majority of people in Illinois think Democrats' plans to raise the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour will fail, according to a survey released by TSheets, an Idaho-based company that provides employee time accounting apps.
Only a third (34.5%) of the 500 respondents to TSheets survey said they thought the wage hike would go through, compared to 65.5% who thought it would not.
Almost half (47.8%) of the respondents said they do not support the proposal while around a third (30.5%) expressed support. The remainder, 21.6%, said they were indifferent. A third of those who support the proposal said they did not believe it would succeed, but confidence about that was higher among Democrats than Republicans.
Under a plan forwarded recently by State Representative Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago) — the minimum wage would be raised gradually over a four-year period from 2018; reaching $15 by 2022. The majority of people who took part in TSheets' survey (50.8%) said the hike should go into effect sooner, with many preferring a much more immediate transition of one year or less. Just 4.7% said four years would be a suitable time period.
There was further disagreement about whether $15 is the correct minimum wage to aim for, with only 17% showing support for it. A lower rate of $12 an hour was the most popular choice — preferred by 30% of the respondents. Just 6.5% chose the current level of $8.25 an hour. Republicans overwhelmingly supported lower rates than Democrats.
There was more agreement across the political spectrum about whether small businesses should be given tax credits to help them to manage the cost of the proposal. More than half of the respondents said they approved of this measure, compared to 28% who said they did not.
The survey questions are available here.
