Most Americans Don’t Care Much About the Actors and Writers Strikes: Poll

The news may be filled with headlines about the labor disputes currently taking over Hollywood, but a new poll seems to show that most Americans aren't concerned about the double strikes by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA — at least, not enough to pick a clear side to favor in their battle against the studios and streamers.

According to a poll conducted for the Los Angeles Times, Americans are well-informed of the strikes, with three out of four respondents saying they are aware that they are going on. In addition, 60 percent specified they were at least "somewhat" understanding of the issues at play.

Of those polled, 38 percent said they sympathize more with the striking actors and writers, while just 7 percent side with the corporations represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

Although that seems like a clear win for the unions, this actually falls short of a majority view.

Most respondents actually stated they were either ambivalent or unsure about their opinion on who's on the right side of things; with 29 percent saying they sympathize with both sides equally and 25 percent said they don’t know which side they favor.

The survey was conducted for the Times by Leger, a Canadian-based polling firm with experience in U.S. surveys.

The writers have been on strike since May 1, and were joined on the picket lines by their actor colleagues when SAG-AFTRA decided to strike in July.