BlackRock CEO Laurence Fink, for instance, made $25.8 million last year.
Several leaders of union and state pension funds, which vote against executive pay more often, said the Reuters/Ipsos poll results suggest that most investors want funds to take a harder line.
"Ultimately, it has got to be driven by their clients," said Mike McCauley, a governance officer for the Florida State Board of Administration, which manages $178 billion.
Inequality Debate
Many respondents supported the status quo. Thirty percent said S&P 500 CEOs are paid "about right" and 21 percent said the fund firms "are taking the correct approach" on pay.
In Byron Center, Michigan, retired Army officer Gabe Hudson worries that the government might step in to regulate executive pay.
"If you think the CEOs are getting paid too much, you can always pull your money out of the fund and go to another fund," Hudson said in an interview.
The poll did not ask about societal issues of income inequity, but many respondents brought it up in interviews. Some also acknowledged they don't carefully monitor proxy votes.
Barbara Dixon, a retired school teacher who lives in South Carolina, said she has not closely followed such votes at the $15 billion Fidelity Magellan Fund where some of her money is invested.
Still, she wants the fund to play a role controlling in executive pay.