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A Pew Research survey released on Thursday indicates that Americans of both parties want employers, not the government, to administer paid family and medical leave.

For mothers facing the adoption or birth of a new child, 72 percent of Democratic family leave supporters said that it should primarily come from employers, along with 79 percent of Republicans. Only 29 percent of Democrats thought that government should provide it at the state and/or federal level. Results were similar in the case of paid leave for fathers.

These numbers, however, slightly decreased when Pew asked about situations focusing on older populations.

In the case of workers dealing with their own health conditions, 79 percent of Republican paid leave supporters said the policy should come from employers, while only 68 percent of Democrats agreed. And as for workers who become caretakers of seriously ill relatives, 69 percent of Republican paid leave supporters said that employers should be primarily responsible for payment versus 55 percent of Democrats.

The findings arrive as paid leave becomes a more prominent issue in Washington. Before he became president, Donald Trump indicated in September 2016 that he was open to six weeks of paid maternity leave. He then indicated a shift toward paid family leave during his address to Congress in February.

In the meantime, politicians have offered their own suggestions through separate pieces of legislation. Senators Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and Angus King (I-Maine) reintroduced a bill in February that would give a tax credit to businesses that provide two weeks of paid leave. Democratic leaders, on the other hand, held a press conference last week in support of "a nationwide insurance program that offers up to 12 weeks of leave with partial pay," as CNN reported.

Other results are more mixed. Most Americans support tax credits incentivizing paid leave: 87 percent of respondents "strongly" or "somewhat favor" it. But they are divided over whether there should be a government mandate: 51 percent say yes, 48 percent say no.

Additionally, 94 percent thought that if all Americans had paid leave, it would positively benefit families. Yet, 57 percent also believed that this would negatively affect small businesses.

And as for those who took less time off than they needed or desired, 69 percent said that they returned to work due to financial reasons.

More data can be found here.

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Most Democrat Supporters of Paid Leave Say It Should Come from Employers - The Weekly Standard