A Majority of Voters Support the WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes

Poll respondents overwhelmingly agree with key demands.

A few weeks back, I reported on a poll taken July 28–30, 2023 which showed 38% of respondents sympathized with the union position in the current strike. One week later (August-3–5, 2023) in a poll by Data for Progress, that number had jumped to 67%. From that accompanying article:

Sixty-seven percent of likely voters support the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, while only 18% oppose. Even a plurality of voters who have an unfavorable opinion of labor unions (48%) support the strikes.

While the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are each negotiating their own contracts, both unions are fighting for fair compensation, stronger workers’ rights, and greater employment protections. When asked about several of the unions’ demands, at least 7 in 10 voters side with the workers:

87% agree that actors and writers should receive the appropriate compensation when their work continues to earn money for corporations from reruns or streaming.

85% agree that actors have the right to their own images, voice, and likeness, and must be ensured consent and fair compensation when any of it is used with artificial intelligence.

82% agree that major Hollywood studios and streamers, such as NBC Universal, Netflix, Amazon, Disney, and Paramount, should guarantee that screenwriters, actors, and other media professionals are fairly compensated for the streaming revenue generated from their work.

74% agree that Hollywood studios should be prohibited from replacing human writers with artificial intelligence tools for the purpose of writing material for movies and TV shows.

72% agree that TV actors and writers should receive fair compensation and employment terms that account for the shorter seasons and longer hiatuses between seasons on streaming services.

More from the article:

When respondents are informed that the strikes could cause major production delays on TV shows and movies that they enjoy, support for the strikes remains consistent, with 86% of voters who originally said they supported the strikes saying they still support the strikes.

Whether one believes it’s important or not, clearly the striking writers and actors have won the media messaging war.

For the rest of the Data for Progress article, go here.

#WGAStrong

For the latest updates on the strike and news resources, go here.

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