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Americans Ponder High Executive Salaries
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Few adults in the United States would establish a salary cap for executives, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 54 per cent of respondents disagree with the federal government making it illegal to pay any executive more than $1 million U.S. a year.
In addition, 59 per cent of respondents also disagree with the federal government making it illegal to pay athletes and movie stars more than $1 million U.S. a year.
Since 2007, defaults on so-called subprime mortgages—credit given to high-risk borrowers—in the United States caused volatility in domestic and global financial markets and ultimately pushed the U.S. economy into a recession. A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth. The crisis has affected the global financial and credit systems, and triggered layoffs in companies around the world.
On Mar. 25, U.S. federal reserve chairman Ben Bernanke discussed the recent uproar over the high compensation standards of executives at some companies, saying, "It’s very important that compensation links performance and reward appropriately and, in particular, does so in a way that does not incentivize excessive risk-taking."
Polling Data
Should the federal government make it illegal to pay any executive more than $1 million a year?
|
Yes |
36% |
|
No |
54% |
|
Not sure |
10% |
Should the federal government make it illegal to pay athletes and movie stars more than $1 million a year?
|
Yes |
30% |
|
No |
59% |
|
Not sure |
11% |
Source: Rasmussen Reports
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 American adults, conducted on Mar. 23 and Mar. 24, 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent.