By Staff
LANSING - By a nearly 3-1 margin, Michigan voters expressed support for Democratic legislation to increase the state's minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $7.15 an hour, according to a March poll commissioned by "Inside Michigan Politics."
The poll of 600 registered voters showed that 70 percent of respondents support the Democratic legislation to raise the minimum wage to $7.15 an hour over two years.
During the survey, respondents were told that the minimum wage hasn't been raised since 1997 and that a raise now would "help middle-class working families."
They were also read claims made by opponents of the plan, who say the legislation would "hurt our economy further." There is no evidence showing a higher minimum wage would negatively affect the economy. On the other hand, its impact has been either positive or neutral.
Given both the pro and con positions, 54 percent of respondents said they strongly support a higher minimum wage in Michigan; 6 percent were undecided, didn't answer or didn't know.
To date, 14 states and the District of Columbia have minimum wages that are higher than the federal $5.15 an hour, which has been unchanged in nine years.