A sweeping survey on paid leave policies released by the Pew Research Center this month found most supporters of those policies prefer they be implemented with limited government intervention.
The survey, conducted in November and December, found clear majorities of Americans generally believe workers should be afforded paid leave for childcare and medical conditions. It also found that, among supporters of those policies, most believe “pay should come from employers rather than from state or federal government.”
“The majority of paid-leave supporters across the political spectrum are more likely to look to employers rather than to government to cover the costs of providing this benefit,” Pew wrote.
The report broke down the numbers for readers:
[blockquote]About three-quarters of Americans who support paid leave for mothers (74%) or fathers (76%) following the birth or adoption of a child say pay for time off should come from employers, and a similar share (72%) of those who favor paid medical leave for workers with a serious health condition say the same. When it comes to who should cover the cost of paid leave for workers when they take time off to care for a family member with a serious health condition, a smaller majority (59%) of paid-leave supporters say pay should come from employers, while about two-in-ten say it should come from federal (22%) or state (20%) government.[/blockquote]
Paid leave policies are a top priority of newly-hired White House assistant Ivanka Trump. Both Republican and Democratic women in Congress are eager to implement plans that tackle the issue.
As they seek to craft those policies, lawmakers should keep Pew’s survey in mind to create the legislation that Americans support.
Emily Jashinsky is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
