Paid sick leave consistently has strong support in polls. In a 2008 public opinion poll on paid sick days, 86 percent of people surveyed said they favour a basic labour standard of paid sick days and 46 percent of respondents said they are more likely to vote for a candidate who supports paid sick days. [1] In a 2010 survey, 75 percent of those polled supported a mandate for a minimum number of paid sick days, with 61 percent strongly supporting it.[2] With strong public opinion in its favour, a paid sick leave bill such as the HFA should be politically feasible.
[1] National Opinion Research Center, “Annual Survey of Employer Health Benefits, 2008,” http://www.norc.org/ Research/Projects/Pages/annual-survey-of-employer-health-benefits-2008.aspx (accessed September, 11, 2011).
[2] Moberg, “Momentum Builds for Guaranteed Paid Sick Days Legislation.”