74 Percent Of Voters Support Raising Federal Minimum Wage To $20 An Hour

The federal minimum wage hasn’t been raised in 14 years, a record-long stretch.

By Sharon Zhang, Truthout

Amid the longest period in Congressional history without any raising of the federal minimum wage, new polling finds that the vast majority of voters not only support raising the minimum wage, but also nearly tripling it.

According to polling by Data for Progress released last week, 74 percent of voters support raising the federal minimum wage to $20 an hour — almost three times the current level of $7.25 an hour. A majority of 50 percent of respondents said they “strongly support” the proposal, while 24 percent said they “somewhat” support it.

This support includes majorities of voters across the political spectrum. Support is strongest among Democrats, with 89 percent saying that they favor raising the minimum wage to $20 an hour. But independents and Republicans back the idea as well, with 74 percent and 60 percent support from both groups, respectively.

The polling comes amid a 14-year stretch since the last time the federal minimum wage was raised, with its real value reaching its lowest point in 67 years. The minimum wage is not a living wage – the wage required to afford basic needs like shelter – nearly anywhere in the U.S.