Majority of people think the minimum wage should be increased, poll finds

YouGov have done polling for the the Times Red Box, which shows that most people want to see a rise in the minimum wage.

They first asked what respondents thought politicians should do to influence businesses and how they treat their employees. A majority of 44% it’s best for government to use the law when it comes to businesses, wage increases and employees rights. However, 28%  government should use encouragement, praise and public criticism to achieve these results and only 13% wanted government to leave businesses alone.

YouGov then asked what these people thought should be done about the minimum wage. Most (80%) wanted it raised a lot (25% said to around £10) or a little (55% said to around £7 or £8). Meanwhile, only 12% want it to stay the same, 1% want it reduced and 6% want it abolished altogether.

This suggests that Labour’s pledge to increase the minimum wage to £8 by 2020 is policy with which most people can get on board.