Please note!

This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Do surveys of small businesses generally find support for higher minimum wages?

Thursday, October 29, 2020

By Ashley Freeman

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YES

In a February 2020 CNBC/SurveyMonkey poll, 57% of small-business owners said minimum-wage increases would not impact their business. In states that actually planned to increase the minimum wage in 2020, 54% of small-business owners agreed that an increase would have no impact on their business. In states that didn't plan any increase in 2020, 60% agreed.

The Economic Policy Institute, a think tank in favor of a higher minimum, cites a number of business groups supporting the move. It notes a number of large employers (Amazon, Aetna, major banks, medical centers and universities) have set a minimum wage of $15 nationally already.

In 2015, a Small Business Majority poll found 60% of small businesses supported raising the minimum wage to $12 an hour nationwide by 2020.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Survey Monkey: Small Business Index Q1 2020

Economic Policy Institute: Advantages of a $15 minimum wage

Small Business Majority: Small businesses support increasing minimum wage

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR

Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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About fact briefs published on Gigafact

Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.