CBS trumpeted their survey this week as public support for organized labor. CBS's survey asked whether respondents thought public employees should have their pay and benefits cut so states could fix their deficit problems. 56% of respondents opposed pay and benefit cuts. A majority of respondents thought that government workers were compensated too little or about right, which probably helps explain the finding.
Our survey this week reveals a different kind of finding among grassroots conservatives. We asked about Gov. Scott Walker's handling of the standoff with organized labor in Wisconsin.
We gave respondents a choice between four options, asking them to choose which best reflects their view.
- 78% - Walker is doing the right thing and shouldn't compromise at all
- 13% - Walker should make public employees pay more into their retirement and health benefits but be willing to compromise on the rules governing collective bargaining
- 3% - Walker should be willing to compromise on all of the points under dispute
- 2% - Walker should try to end collective bargaining altogether
It's clear that conservatives overwhelmingly support the stance Walker is taking. It's also clear that they do not expect Walker to go farther than what he has proposed to end collective bargaining altogether.
These results are from a survey of 536 conservatives in our Republican Panel conducted Feb. 27-28. We will release more results from this survey tomorrow.
