September 2021 Poll: Fact Sheet

As recent economic turmoil exacerbated decades-long child care challenges facing working parents, voters increasingly recognize the essential role that child care plays in the success of our economy.

Ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, a national poll conducted by Public Opinion Strategies in five key Republican-held Senate seats and 40 Republican-held congressional districts demonstrates that child care is a winning issue among voters across the political spectrum.

Voters understand the severity of child care challenges facing working families and want Congress to help address them

• One in three voters say they know someone who has had to cut work hours or forgo work entirely due to child care challenges. 38% of independent voters, 42% of African-American voters, and 49% of Latino voters say the same.

• By a two-to-one margin, voters believe that public programs should help working parents afford the high cost of child care, rejecting the idea that parents alone should have full responsibility.
• 70% of voters believe it is extremely or very important for working parents to be able to find and afford quality child care. 80% of young voters, 78% of women, and 77% of independent voters say the same.

---

POLICY PROPOSAL

Voters were asked about a set of child care policy proposals proposals that would provide funding to states to expand their child care systems, making child care affordable for all families and saving most parents thousands of dollars each year in child care and preschool expenses, while building an early learning system that meets the needs of working families and the providers they rely on.

• Three in four voters support the proposal.
• 57% of Republicans, 70% of Independents, and 90% of Democrats support the proposals.
• More than 80% of voters say their community would benefit from the proposals.
• Over 70% of voters say if the proposals become law, their governors should accept the funding to expand their state’s existing child care system.

---

Voters who will likely be instrumental to the outcome of key 2022 Senate races strongly support the proposal

• 72% of voters who say they are extremely likely to vote in the 2022 midterm elections say they support the proposal.
• 77% of self-identified moderate voters, 71% suburban voters, 82% of Hispanic voters, and 75% of female voters support the proposals.

On behalf of First Five Years Fund, Public Opinion Strategies completed an online survey of 1000 registered voters in 40 key GOP-held congressional districts and 1000 registered voters in five key GOP-held Senate states: Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.