When respondents were asked how important it was for policymakers to support access to high-quality early childhood education programs to strengthen the workforce and economy, an overwhelming 90.6% agreed it was either important or very important. This broad agreement reflects the growing recognition of the economic and societal benefits of accessible childcare.
Democrats expressed the highest levels of agreement at 96.3%, followed closely by full-time workers at 96.1%. African American respondents and urban parents demonstrated similarly strong support, both at 94.4%. In contrast, lower levels of agreement were reported among retirees (84.2%), Independents (83.3%), and temporarily unemployed respondents (80.7%).
Key Insights from Minority and Urban Parents
For African American respondents, urban parents reported the highest agreement on the importance of access to high-quality programs at 97.6%, closely followed by those with a child under 17 at home at 97.5%. Hispanic urban parents reported high agreement at 95.5%, while Asian stay-at-home parents demonstrated similarly high support at 96.7%.
By age group, those aged 30 to 49 expressed the strongest agreement at 92.1%, while respondents 65 or older showed the lowest at 86.6%. Men consistently expressed higher levels of agreement than women, at 92.8% compared to 88.6%. Respondents with college degrees were more likely to agree, with 92.8% compared to 89.7% among those without degrees. Parents with children under 17 living at home showed particularly strong agreement at 94.2%.
Demographics and Methodology
A total of 1,002 participants completed the survey. The distribution of respondents by age was relatively balanced, with the highest percentage aged 30 to 49 at 34.0%, followed by those aged 50 to 64 at 24.0%, and those 65 and older at 22.0%. Slightly over half of the respondents were female, comprising 50.8%, with males at 48.8%. Most respondents, 63.6%, did not have a college degree, and 39.0% identified as members of the Republican party. In the non-oversampled data, the majority of respondents were White at 60.8%. More than half of the participants worked full-time at 51.1%, while 20.7% were retired. The majority of respondents, 68.0%, did not have a child under the age of 17 living at home. Among parents, 18.8% were urban, 7.6% suburban, and 4.8% rural.