Being told average full-time salaries increases public support for newly qualified doctors and refuse collectors going on strike

• Highest levels of public support for nurses going on strike – regardless of whether they are told the average full-time salary
• Strike action by higher education professionals, consultant doctors and train drivers less supported
• Giving salary information makes less difference for other professions

New research from Ipsos for The Economist explores whether public support for striking workers changes when they are told a profession’s average full-time salary. Ipsos surveyed 2,228 British adults where:

1. Half were asked whether 11 different professions were paid too much, too little or about the right amount without being told what they were paid (Split A).
2. Half were told the average full-time salary for 11 different professions and then asked whether this was too much, too little or about the right amount (Split B). 

Both groups were then asked whether they supported or opposed the same groups of workers going on strike. This approach enables us to compare levels of support for strikes among those who were told how much each profession makes on average to those who were not (and therefore had to rely on their perceptions only).

Perceptions of pay

Among our unprompted sample, three in five (62%) believe that nurses are paid too little. This is then followed by firefighters (42%) and newly qualified doctors (40%), however as many among the public were also likely to believe these professions are paid the right amount (38% and 39% respectively).

Opinion was split on consultant doctors, with one in five believing they are paid too much (21%) with a similar proportions believing they are paid too little (22%). One in five also believe that higher education professionals such as lecturers and professors are paid too little (21%), compared to one in seven (14%) who believe they are paid too much. The only profession where the unprompted sample are more likely to believe they are paid too much, over too little, is among train drivers. Over a quarter (27%) say they are paid too much, compared to 20% who say they are paid too little.   In most cases though, the largest proportion of the public believe the professions are paid the right amount. 

However, among split B, who were told the average full-time salary for each group before being asked the question, some differences emerge. Here, the industry that is most likely to be seen as being paid too little is newly qualified doctors, with over half (56%) believing they are paid too little (+16pts on what our unprompted sample felt).  There is a fall among nurses (45%, -17pts compared to the unprompted sample). Half believed that firefighters are paid the right amount, once they knew the salary (+12 pts). Those told average salaries for each group were more likely to say refuse collectors are paid too little (41%), when compared to those not told (30%).  Again, for most professions a large proportion believe they are paid about the right amount, and relatively few think they are paid too little.

Train drivers and consultant doctors are the professions that were most likely to be seen as being paid too much, among the sample that was made aware of average salaries. Almost half believe train drivers and consultant doctors are paid too much (47%), which is up from the unprompted sample (Train drivers 27%, and consultant doctors 21%).

Support for strike action

Our samples were then asked to consider whether they would support or oppose strikes within each of the listed professions. Half of the unprompted sample support nurses going on strike (51%), followed by over two in five supporting firefighters (43%). Opinion is split concerning newly qualified doctors going on strike (37% support, 34% oppose). These were the only professions that had positive net support among our list of professions.
The least supported profession for taking strike action is train drivers. Almost half (46%) oppose them going on strike, compared to 27% who support them. This is followed by consultant doctors (27% support, 41% oppose), higher education professionals (30% support, 40% oppose), and police officers (32% support, 38% oppose).

Among the Split B sample that was shown salary information, there is little shift in terms of support for nurses (net support +26 versus +24 for unprompted), and firefighters (net support +13 versus +14). Likewise, train drivers remain one of the least supported groups of workers for taking strike action, with 27% supporting and 48% opposed.
However there is a group of professisons that see support for strikes change when salaries are shown. Newly qualified doctors are more likely to be supported in taking strike action among those told how much they earn, compared to the unprompted sample. Almost half of those told their average full-time salary support newly qualified doctors taking strike action (48%), compared to 29% who oppose (+19 net support). This is up from +3 for the unprompted sample.

Likewise refuse collectors are significantly more likely to be supported among those who know their average full-time salary, than among those who don’t. Forty-three per cent of those told their average salary support refuse collectors taking strike action, while 29% oppose (+14 net support compared to -3 among the sample not told their earnings).

Higher education professionals and consultant doctors are most likely to see a small fall in support for strike action among those who are made aware of their average full-time salary, compared to the equivalent split who are unaware. Almost half (49%) said they would oppose consultant doctors going on strike (26% support, net support -23), while 46% oppose higher education professionals taking strike action (27% support, net support -19). These nets are down from -14 and -10 respectively.

Keiran Pedley, research director at Ipsos, UK, said:

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this research is how little knowing the average full-time salaries of different professions tends to influence support for them going on strike. Nurses, for example, are supported by the public regardless of them being less likely to say they are paid too little once told their average earnings. There are some exceptions, with newly qualified doctors and refuse collectors winning more support for strike action from the public once their average earnings are known (and consultant doctors winning less). However,typically, knowledge of earnings doesn’t dramatically change public support for strike action across these professions.

Technical note

• Ipsos interviewed a representative quota sample of 2,228 adults aged 18-75 in Great Britain. Interviews took place on the online Omnibus 27-29th January 2023. Overall, 1,115 were shown ‘Split A’ and not prompted for different profession’s salaries and 1,113 were shown ‘Split B’ and shown the average full-time salary for each profession according to official sources. Sources used included the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), NHS Digital and the Department for Education). All salary information was fact checked by The Economist.
• Split A were asked: In your opinion, on average would you say the following professions or group of workers are paid too much, too little or about the right amount?
• Split B were asked: Below is a list of different professions or groups of workers and the average annual salary for full time workers in each group before tax according to official figures.  Based on the information below, would you say the following professions or groups of workers are paid too much, too little, or about the right amount on average? Remember, these figures are averages meaning that some workers in each profession will earn more and some will earn less than the figure stated.
• Data has been weighted to the known offline population proportions with both samples independently weighted to be nationally representative. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.