Seventy six percent of Americans believe the national minimum wage should be increased from $7.25 to $9 per hour in a hypothetical national referendum, a Gallup poll released Nov. 11 shows. The poll, with a margin of error of 4 percent, sampled 1,040 adults from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

In the southern Illinois area, students will often take entry-level positions, which might pay minimum wage. However, not all entry-level employees are students. For those who are, minimum wage can prove to be a struggle to live on. The state’s minimum wage is $8.25, compared to the federal minimum wage of $7.25.

Rallies occurred across the country in support of an increase. During the Fight for Fifteen rally in Chicago Aug. 29, employees of fast-food chains such as McDonald’s demanded the minimum wage go up to $15 an hour. Those employees went on strike at the busiest times of the day and stood outside with signs, refusing to work until the wage is changed.

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In areas like Chicago, workers chanted slogans “I can’t survive on eight twenty-five,” the Huffington Post reported.

U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., said she spoke to workers that were striking in Chicago.

“McDonald’s employees work an average of 24 hours-per-week, and those I spoke with who had been working a decade or more had advanced up to $8.50 per hour, earning a grand total of $10,608 for the whole year,” Schakowsky said in a Huffington Post article entitled “To Celebrate Labor Day, Give American Workers a Raise.”

SIU associate professor of economics Kevin Sylwester said raising the minimum wage would involve raising business costs, which can lead to financial issues.

“The reason why many economists are if not opposed, at least hesitant about the minimum wage, is that, you raise business costs, you raise the cost of hiring new people and that can create unemployment,” he said.

Slywester said those in entry level positions normally would not ask for $20 or $30 for minimum wage because they are generally young or new at their job. Some economists believe that if minimum wage is only slightly increased by 50 cents or a dollar, the negative effects may be quite small. However, some would argue the small increases still have large effects, he said.

Several Carbondale residents believe an increase would be nice, yet they also understand inflation and job loss is a risk that would be taken.

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Philip Sanders, a 26-year-old from Kankakee studying art at John A. Logan College, said he does not believe minimum wage should go up, even to $9. Sanders holds several jobs — he is a manager at the University Mall PacSun, is a general employee at the mall’s American Eagle and makes minimum wage at his third job in the Carbondale Showplace 8 movie theater.

“I think minimum wage jobs are minimum wage because they are entry level positions,” Sanders said. “If you’re going to move minimum wage jobs up to $15 an hour, that means that the people that aren’t in an entry level position – they’ll be making like $30 an hour, or $25,” Sanders said. “That’s insane.”

Sanders said he fears if minimum wage were to increase to $15 an hour, small businesses would not be able to compete with larger businesses and the larger businesses would cut costs any way they know how.

Dustin Hardcastle, 21, of Cambria said he believes increasing minimum wage to $9 is a good idea. Hardcastle works at Things Remembered in the University Mall and shares bills with his girlfriend who also works a minimum wage job plus commission.

“Fifteen an hour, I think that might be a little ridiculous,” Hardcastle said. “Nine wouldn’t be bad.”

Audrey Smith, 19, of Carterville works at Subway in Carbondale as her only job and said she lives with her parents and is trying to better herself.

“It would be amazing, actually [if minimum wage were to go up], I’m not getting anywhere right now,” said Smith. “I’m trying to find another job or trying to get more hours here. I’d love it if it were like $8.75 or more.”

Smith strongly disagreed with $15 an hour as a good increase for minimum wage.

“That’s a little too much because some people don’t work that hard,” Smith said.

Smith said an increase in minimum wage would help her pay off her car and get to go to college, two things she really wants. Smith said raises are nice, but they are usually only a few cents and she would rather have an increased minimum wage and not get a raise for a longer amount of time.

John Angle, 42, of De Soto has worked at Arnold’s Market for a little more than three years and makes just above minimum wage. Angle said $9 sounds fine to him.

“I had heard rumors that minimum wage was going to go up to $10, which would be even better,” Angle said. “But as with everything else, when the price of minimum wage goes up, so does everything else.”

Angle said though he works almost full time at Arnold’s, he is always in a crunch or barely getting by.

“You can get by on minimum wage, but it’s not easy,” Angle said.