Poll: 57 Percent of Public Opposes Government Preschool

Published May 20, 2013

Government preschool programs have expanded greatly in the past decade, but a new poll finds 57 percent of Americans believe parents, not the government, should pay for preschool.

Thirty-two percent said taxpayers should pay for preschool in the Reason-Rupe May 2013 poll.

“President Obama has proposed expanding government preschool programs, however only 37 percent of Americans favor raising taxes to create a universal preschool system, while 61 percent oppose,” the poll summary noted.

The poll interviewed 1,003 adults on topics ranging from government to athletics and birth control to education.

Seventy-four percent of respondents said Americans should view equally “a parent who chooses to scale back his or her career to spend more time raising their children or a parent who chooses to fully pursue his or her career while raising their children.”

When asked if it is necessary “for parents of small children to make compromises in their careers to effectively raise children,” 80 percent said such compromises are necessary and 13 percent said they are unnecessary.

Learn more:
“Reason-Rupe May 2013 National Survey,” Reason Foundation, May 2013: http://reason.com/poll/2013/05/17/reason-rupe-may-2013-national-survey

Image by Ikhlasul Amal.