Nearly 70% of New York state residents see the cost of living as the most important issue facing their households, according to the Empire State Poll, conducted in August 2024 by the ILR School’s Center for Applied Research on Work (CAROW).

Respondents also termed the cost of living the most important issue facing New York state, along with immigration, taxes, crime and housing. Results of the poll were released March 27.

“Accessible and applied research on work requires timely and relevant data about patterns and trends related to work, labor and employment,” said CAROW director Ariel Avgar, Ph.D. ’08, the ILR School’s David M. Cohen ’73 Professor of Labor Relations and senior associate dean for outreach and sponsored research.

“Our goal is for this data to help guide policymakers, legislators, unions, employers and advocates in understanding and addressing opportunities and challenges for workers, their families and communities in New York state,” Avgar said.

CAROW conducts the poll, now in its 11th year, in an effort to document New York state residents’ relationships to work, labor market participation and experiences related to employment. Research firm SSRS administered the survey online and by phone, in English and Spanish, from Aug. 14-30. A total of 2,686 residents responded.

The poll found broad support for an increased minimum wage in the state and a four-day workweek, as well as positive opinions about unions and support for legislation increasing various worker protections.

Findings also show that many respondents struggle with caregiving responsibilities, and discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace.

Among the findings:

• Respondents are pessimistic about the state of the economy, but cautiously optimistic about that state’s economic outlook;
• More than 82% expressed concern about how climate change will impact future generations;
• While more than half of employed respondents had access to employer-sponsored health, vision and dental insurance, access to employer benefits is limited by disparities across race and education;
• Of respondents in the labor market, nearly four times as many respondents hold multiple jobs as compared to the national average;
• Only 36.6% of respondents working for an employer said their employer offered them predictable schedules;
• Around 13% of employed respondents reported having no commute or working from home. Almost 80% of employed respondents’ commute to work is an hour or less;
• About 64% agree with a four-day workweek with no reduction in pay for all workers;
• Caregiving remains a significant barrier to work, with 33.2% saying they provided unpaid caregiving regularly to family and/or friends. More than a quarter of caregivers said their unpaid caregiving made it difficult to maintain a job, and 36.3% reported they had reduced their work hours to accommodate their caregiving responsibilities;
• Around 36% of respondents of color have faced racial/ethnic discrimination on the job; and
• Nearly a fifth of respondents said they had experienced intimate partner violence or controlling behavior – including more than 25% of cisgender women and more than 45% of trans and gender-nonconforming respondents – and almost half of those respondents said that it had impacted their ability to work.

The 2024 Empire State Poll report team includes Michael Lenmark, Megan Thorsfeldt, Anne DeCecco, Russell Weaver, Jillian Morley, Zoë West, Anne Marie Brady and Avalon Hoek Spaans, all of the ILR School.

Mary Catt is director of communications for the ILR School.