Bernie Sanders' 32-hour workweek bill gets big boost as new poll shows what Americans think

Washington DC - Senator Bernie Sanders' effort to enact a 32-hour workweek has gotten a big boost from new polling data.

Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced popular legislation to reduce the standard workweek to 32 hours.
Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced popular legislation to reduce the standard workweek to 32 hours.  © JIM WATSON / AFP

Sanders introduced legislation last week to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to reduce the standard workweek from 40 hours per week to 32 hours per week over four years – without a reduction in pay.

Data for Progress has since released survey results showing that the measure is overwhelmingly popular with a majority of Americans.

Of the 1,196 respondents, 57% said the US should "move to a 32-hour workweek, because it will reduce stress levels and allow Americans to enjoy a better quality of life."

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The difference was even more pronounced among respondents who identified as Democrats, 69% of whom supported a 32-hour workweek.

Meanwhile, 58% of Independent and third-party voters and 44% of Republicans were in favor of the change.

American workers fed up with stagnant wages

Sanders' legislation comes as companies are making record profits as costs of living rise and many workers' wages remain stagnant.

Data for Progress' other survey option suggested that a four-day workweek might "reduce worker productivity and business revenue" as well as "put extra burdens on companies, potentially forcing them to hire additional workers or pay workers overtime."

These negative arguments clearly weren't enough to sway the majority of respondents away from Sanders' proposed workweek revolution.

Cover photo: JIM WATSON / AFP

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