Support for school choice policies has reached 72% among registered voters, including 68% of Democrats, in the wake of pandemic school closures and mask mandates, according to new polling.
The survey, conducted by RealClear Opinion Research of over 2,000 registered voters in early February, indicated that school choice enjoys widespread bipartisan support among voters, even as support among politicians often falls along party lines.
The poll found that 82% of Republican voters, 68% of Democrat voters, and 67% of independents support school choice policies. The numbers represented a substantial increase for all demographics and political affiliations from pre-pandemic surveys.
Extended school closures and mask policies brought on by the pandemic are largely credited with having boosted support for school choice policies nationwide. The latest poll found overall support for school choice was 8 percentage points higher than it was before the pandemic.
The poll told surveyed voters that “school choice gives parents the right to use the tax dollars designated for their child’s education to send their child to the public or private school which best serves their needs.” It then asked if they supported the policy or not.
School choice policies have taken various forms across different states, with the most common being voucher programs and tax-deductible scholarship programs that give varying amounts of money to parents to cover tuition costs at private schools or other education-related expenses.
Tommy Schultz, the CEO of the American Federation for Children, a nonprofit organization that advocates for school choice, called the results of the poll “stunning,” adding, “The past two years have exposed to the world what many in the parental choice movement have known for decades: No single educational environment is right for every child.”
“As the battle over educational freedom continues, party affiliation is secondary to ensuring all families are empowered to choose the best educational setting for their children,” Schultz said. “We urge policymakers, regardless of party, to act to expand options and opportunity to every child in America and eradicate barriers that prevent families from choosing a learning environment where their children can thrive.”
Despite evidence of widespread public support, school choice bills in several states have still failed to garner sufficient support, including from Republican state lawmakers, who torpedoed bills in Utah and Georgia that would have established school voucher programs in both states.
Opponents of school choice policies, notably public school teachers unions, claim efforts to enact school choice are a gimmick to defund public education.
