The 30th Annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools |
IMPACT OF UNIONS
The impact unions have had on the quality of public education is another area that had been explored in the early years of the poll but had not been revisited since 1976. The public remains divided in this area: 27% believe that unions have improved the quality of the public schools, 26% believe that unions have hurt the public schools, and 37% believe that unions have made no difference. These responses reflect a somewhat more positive attitude toward unions today than in 1976. Thirty-nine percent of public school parents share the view that unions have made no difference. Nonwhites (36%) are the group most likely to believe that unions have helped.
The question:
Most teachers in the nation now belong to unions or associations that bargain over salaries, working conditions, and the like. Has unionization, in your opinion, helped, hurt, or made no difference in the quality of public education in the U.S.?
| National Totals |
No Children In School |
Public School Parents |
Nonpublic School Parents | |||||
| '98 | '76 | '98 | '76 | '98 | '76 | '98 | '76 | |
| % | % | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| Helped | 27 | 22 | 27 | 22 | 28 | 23 | 23 | 24 |
| Hurt | 26 | 38 | 26 | 38 | 24 | 36 | 36 | 47 |
| Made no difference | 37 | 27 | 37 | 26 | 39 | 28 | 27 | 25 |
| Don't know | 10 | 13 | 10 | 14 | 9 | 13 | 14 | 4 |
TOPICS:
Introduction to the Poll
Public Versus Nonpublic Schools
Grading the Schools
Effectiveness of Public Schools
Improving the Nation's Inner-City Schools
Politics and the Public Schools
Problems Facing the Public Schools
School Operation/Curriculum
Impact of Unions
The Public's Knowledge of Local Schools
Confidence in Institutions
Closing Comments
How to Order the Poll
Research Procedure
Sampling Tolerances
Design and Composition of the Sample
Conducting Your Own Poll
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