Large Majorities of Americans Believe Top Managers Make More Than They Deserve

NEW YORK, Nov. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- As the Occupy Wall Street protests continue and move across the country, anger at corporate America seems to be growing. Seven in ten Americans (69%) believe most top company managers make more than they deserve in salaries and all other benefits, three in ten (29%) say they make about what they deserve and 2% believe they make less than they deserve. Not surprisingly, there is a partisan difference as three-quarter of Democrats (76%) and seven in ten Independents (71%) believe these top managers make more than they deserve compared to 59% of Republicans.

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These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,115 adults surveyed online between October 25 and 27, 2011 by Harris Interactive.

It's not just the fact that company leaders are paid more, it's who the money is coming at the expense of that seems to be a concern. Four in five Americans (80%) agree that top company managers have become rich at the expense of ordinary workers, with almost half (47%) strongly agreeing. Again there is a partisan divide as nine in ten Democrats (89%) agree compared to seven in ten Republicans (69%).

And there is a sense of anger as well. Among those who believe top company managers have become rich at the expense of ordinary workers, over three-quarters (77%) are angry that this has happened, with 34% very angry. Less than one in five (18%) are not very angry and only 5% are not at all angry.

There is also a distribution of rewards issue as two-thirds of Americans (65%) believe rewards in the American workplace are distributed less fairly than five years ago while one-third (32%) say rewards are distributed just as fairly and 3% say more fairly. Interestingly, in 2002 two-thirds of Americans (66%) also believed rewards in the American workplace are distributed less fairly than they were five years previously. There is, yet again, a partisan difference on distribution of rewards in the workplace. Three-quarters of Democrats (74%) and two-thirds of Independents (67%) say these rewards are distributed less fairly compared to half of Republicans (51%) who say the same.

Much of this anger is due to the fact that Americans are not happy financially. Compared to five years ago, two in five Americans are worse off financially (40%), two in five are financially about the same and less than one in five (18%) are better off. Here there is no real partisan difference as two in five Republicans (42%), Democrats (38%) and Independents (40%) all say they are worse off financially than they were five years ago.

So What?

The protests and demonstrations will continue, most likely until the economy turns around and the job market rebounds. The anger that is felt is palpable and this is one way that some Americans are expressing their frustration at corporate America. As the frustration and anger grows, it will be interesting to see if other protests and movements are seen throughout the country.

Methodology

This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between October 25 and 27, 2011 among 2,115 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of Harris Interactive.

The Harris Poll® #117, November 11, 2011

By Regina A. Corso, SVP, Harris Poll, Public Relations and Youth Research, Harris Interactive

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American and European offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us – and our clients – stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

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SOURCE Harris Interactive