Declining union membership could be making working-class Americans less happy and more susceptible to drug overdoses

By: Samia Islam, Boise State University and Kelly Chen, Boise State University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: November 4, 2025

Words: 1,103

Last Updated: 3 weeks ago

Body Text Preview

By Samia Islam, Boise State University and Kelly Chen, Boise State University

When fewer people belong to unions and unions have less power, the impact goes beyond wages and job security. Those changes can hurt public health and make people more unhappy.

We’re economists who research labor and health issues. Those are two of the main findings of studies that we have conducted.

More unionization, more happiness

In the first study …

Create a free account to access this story and more

Join Plucky Wire to access full stories, collaborate with newsrooms, and discover content from networks around the world.

Email Us