March 4, 2024
To: Interested Parties
Fr: Brian Stryker, Luke Martin, and Cassie Castro; Impact Research Re: Illinois Voters Oppose Changes to Independent Contractor Rules
Most voters in Illinois don’t see a problem with the way independent contracting jobs are currently handled in their state, and there is support across the board for protecting the right for independent contractors to work these kinds of jobs because of the flexibility they provide. As a result, voters in the state oppose potential changes that would reclassify independent contractors as employees. Voters also see real potential for these rule changes to cause significant harm, not just to the financial wellbeing of independent contractors, but to the state as a whole.
- Just 21% of Illinois voters believe the way independent contracting jobs are currently handled is an issue that needs to be addressed by the government. This view is shared across partisan lines, including just 31% of Democrats, 17% of Independents, and 10% of Republicans who want to see the government intervene.
- Less than 4-in-10 voters would support reclassifying independent contractors as employees (38% support / 47% oppose / 14% don’t know). The 14% of voters in the state who currently work as independent contractors oppose being reclassied as employees the most strongly (63%) and the 40% of voters that have had some previous experience working as independent contractors are also opposed outright (55%), but even those who have no experience working as independent contractors are divided (41% support / 42% oppose). By double-digit margins, current independent contractors are also the least likely to agree that the Governor, State Legislature, or local officials listen to their concerns about employment issues.
- Voters believe that reclassifying independent contractors as employees would ultimately hurt the state’s economy, cost jobs, and result in independent contractors making less. By a 34-point margin, voters believe that reclassifying independent contractors as employees would cost jobs in Illinois, believe it would decrease pay for independent contractors by a 27-point margin, and by a 24-point margin believe it would hurt the state’s economy.
- Independent contractors are just as satisfied with their current employment situation as full-time employees. 65% of current independent contractors say they are satisfied with their current employment compared to 64% of current employees, and current independent contractors are more likely to be extremely satisfied (40%) with their employment situation than full-time employees (34%).
These findings are based on the results of a multi-modal poll of registered voters in Illinois conducted by Impact Research. The sample consists of N=600 responses, collected utilizing landline, cellphone, and text-to-web interviews between August 3-9, 2023. The margin of error for a sample of this size is +/- 4.0 percentage points at the 95% level of confidence.