(BOISE, IDAHO) When fewer people belong to unions and unions have less power, the impact goes beyond wages and job security. Those changes can hurt public health and make people more unhappy.
We’re economistswho research labor and health issues. Those are two of the main findings of studies that we have conducted.
More unionization, more happiness
In the first study on this topic that we published in 2023, we found that increasing levels of union membership tends to make working-class people happier.
We zeroed in on a question in the General Social Survey, which the University of Chicago makes available. It asks respondents to choose whether they are “very happy,” “somewhat happy” or “not at all happy” with their life…