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Americans say CEOs earn too much compared to their workers


66% of Americans say companies are doing a "poor" job avoiding major pay gaps between CEOs and their workers

How do you think businesses are doing avoiding a major pay gap between CEOs and average employees?

Bar Chart - How do you think businesses are doing avoiding a major pay gap between CEOs and average employees?

"CEO pay, though determined by shareholders and subjected to required disclosures, is an issue that everyone weighs in on. Public concerns over CEO pay surface in the media, lawsuits, activism, regulations and employee morale." 

Cynthia Clark
John W. Poduska Professor of Governance
Bentley University

"Most people think that the money companies make isn’t shared equitably among their employees: executives get too much, lower-level workers get too little, or both. What might help is greater pay transparency. Companies should be willing to explain why some get so much more than others. If they won’t — or can’t — this is evidence that something is amiss."

Jeff Moriarty 
Professor of Philosophy and Executive Director of the Hoffman Center for Business Ethics
Bentley University
CEO with money in breast pocket

CEO Pay Gap

A new paper based on the Bentley-Gallup survey findings shows that Americans believe it’s important for companies to avoid a pay gap between CEOs and employees, but most say companies are failing to do that.

Read the Paper