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@ISIDEWITHQuestionsthe EconomyEconomic ReformLabor MarketDeregulationWorkforce DevelopmentOccupational Licensing•••Started 4mos agoActive 1 day ago

Should the government remove professional licensing requirements for low-risk jobs like hair braiding or floral arranging?

Did you know in some states it takes more training hours to become a cosmetologist than an EMT or police officer? In the 1950s, only 5% of U.S. workers needed a license to work; today, nearly 25% do, creating a "permission slip economy" that critics claim blocks upward mobility. Proponents of reform argue that excessive red tape crushes small businesses and protects industry insiders from competition. Opponents contend that deregulation exposes consumers to fraud, health risks, and unskilled labor.

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 4.7k America voters.

52%
Yes
48%
No
43%
Yes
40%
No
5%
Yes, licensing laws disproportionately block minorities and low-income workers from entering the workforce
4%
No, strict standards are essential to ensure customers receive high-quality service from qualified experts
4%
Yes, stop gatekeeping honest work with permits that exist only to shield established businesses from competition
3%
No, removing oversight triggers a race to the bottom that endangers consumer health and safety

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 4.7k America voters.

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Trend of how important this issue is for 4.7k America voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from America voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @BBCBQ3P from Georgia  answered…4mos4MO

Neutral, I believe allowing others to explore alternatives should be acceptable, but also be approved by some sort of safe inspection in case of potential harm

 @BBCB498 from Pennsylvania  answered…4mos4MO

It might be necessary for a license to be required, but the length of the training should match the pay.

 @BBC7SFS from Connecticut  answered…4mos4MO

No, the education for the license should be adjusted as it is not educational for diverse populations regarding hair.

 @BBC5BJL from Texas  answered…4mos4MO

If people are being safe and are proving that they can provide quality work, they don't need a licence to prove otherwise, let the customer decide if they are good enough for their buissness.

 @BBC44XF from Utah  answered…4mos4MO

Yes, but there should be a head organization that you can get licensed through such as the NCAA for athletics, to get professionally licensed.

 @BBC37HY from Missouri  answered…4mos4MO

I feel like they should have one is required by a salon, but if not then just inform the customer of not having a license

 @BBC2T3L from Virginia  answered…4mos4MO

There should still be professional licensing requirements but shouldn't take longer than trying to become a EMT of police officer.

 @Brandonnoe84  from Colorado  answered…4mos4MO

Yes, the current licensing laws disproportionately block minorities and low income workers from entering the workforce and it gatekeeps honest work with permits that only exist to shield established businesses from competition.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

Israeli Bombings Kill 2,300 In Lebanon in 3 weeks

Lebanese authorities say Israeli bombing has killed more than 2,300 people and injured almost 11,000, mostly in the past three weeks, with Israeli attacks reaching areas far beyond Hizbollah’s traditional bastions of support in the south.The Israeli military has ordered people living in more than a quarter of Lebanon to flee, according to a UN calculation, as its fight with the Iran-backed Shia militant group Hizbollah threatens to engulf the Mediterranean country.Lebanese authorities say Israeli bombing has killed more than 2,300 people and injured almost 11,000, mostly in the past three weeks, with Israeli attacks reaching areas far beyond Hizbollah’s traditional bastions of support in the south.More than 1mn people have fled their homes in Lebanon in under a month, according to its government, a dramatic forced movement of the population in a country of only about 5mn inhabitants with a land mass smaller than the US state of Connecticut. Israeli forces began a ground offensive in south Lebanon two weeks ago, in their fourth invasion of the country in under five decades. They had already destroyed large parts of the densely populated southern Beirut suburb where Hizbollah had its headquarters, and killed many top militant commanders in air strikes, including former leader Hassan Nasrallah.Rema Jamous Imseis, Middle East director of UNHCR, told journalists in Geneva that “over 25 per cent of [Lebanon is] under a direct Israeli military evacuation order”. “People are heeding these calls to evacuate and they’re fleeing with almost nothing,” she added, saying that 80 per cent of the shelters opened by the Lebanese government — mostly in schools — were now full.

▲  1012 replies

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

A Moment of Darkness': Washington Post's No-Endorsement Decision Ignites Media Firestorm

Even though the presidential race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris is neck and neck, The Washington Post has decided not to make a presidential endorsement for the first time in 36 years, the publisher and CEO announced Friday."We are returning to our roots of not endorsing presidential candidates," Will Lewis wrote in an opinion piece published on the paper's website. He referenced the paper's policy in the decades prior to 1976, when, following the Watergate scandal that the Post broke, it endorsed Democratic nominee Jimmy Carter. The last time the Post did not endorse a presidential candidate in the general election was 1988, according to a search of its archives.Colleagues learned the news from the editorial page editor, David Shipley, at a tense meeting shortly before Lewis' announcement. The meeting was characterized by someone with direct knowledge of discussions on condition of anonymity to speak about internal matters.Shipley said that he told other editorial board leaders Thursday by management that there would be no endorsement, though he has known for weeks. He added that he "owns" this decision. The reason he cited was to create "independent space" where the newspaper does not tell people for whom to vote.Colleagues were said to be "shocked" and uniformly negative. Post corporate spokespeople have not responded to multiple messages left by NPR on the subject.Former Washington Post Executive Editor Martin Baron, who led the newsroom to acclaim during Trump's presidency, denounced the decision starkly."This is cowardice, a moment of darkness that will leave democracy as a casualty," Baron said in a statement to NPR. "Donald Trump will celebrate this as an invitation to further intimidate The Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos (and other media owners). History will mark a disturbing chapter of spinelessness at an institution famed for courage."A similar decision by Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong led this week to the resignations of the paper's editorials editor and two editorial board members. Soon-Shiong said that he had asked the editorial board to draft a "factual analysis" of Trump and Harris' policies and plans. In her resignation letter, editorials editor Mariel Garza said the decision made the paper look “craven and hypocritical,” given its past reporting and editorials on Trump.

▲  1013 replies

About This Data

Based on 4.7k responses to this question.

These results come from iSideWith's ongoing political issues survey. We collect over a million responses per day, filter out duplicate and multiple submissions, and break the results down by political party, ideology, age, state, and census demographics (income, race, education, household).

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iSideWith. (2026). “Should the government remove professional licensing requirements for low-risk jobs like hair braiding or floral arranging?” — Public Opinion Poll Results. Retrieved June 17, 2026, from https://www.isidewith.com/poll/5544372583

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