Teachers’ unions are polarizing, but the topline is not what some might expect
by Brandon Burley and The Redemption Project
Teachers’ unions are often discussed as if the public has already chosen sides.
Depending on the room, they may be described as defenders of teachers, obstacles to reform, protectors of public education, political machines, labor advocates or special interests.
That is why polling on teachers’ unions can be easy to misread.
A new national registered-voter poll from Overton Insights found that 55% of respondents strongly or somewhat supported teachers’ unions in the United States. Twenty-seven percent somewhat or strongly opposed them. Another 10% neither supported nor opposed them, and 8% were not sure or had no opinion.
That topline may surprise some people.
It does not show teachers’ unions as broadly unpopular.
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It also does not show a simple national consensus.
The deeper picture is more complicated: teachers’ unions have overall support, but that support is sharply divided by party, identity, values and how voters understand the role of public education.
The topline shows more support than opposition
