Survey says: ‘Education voters’ may be the new swing voters

Education could become a single voter issue among parents, regardless of political party affiliation, according to a recent national survey commissioned by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

The May 2022 survey polled families’ educational choices and patterns, satisfaction with school options, and the role education as an issue will play in the upcoming elections.

While the full report will be released later this summer, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools shared initial key findings.

…[D]ata suggest education voters may be the new “swing” voters — for many parents who vote in both federal and state/local elections, education is a key consideration when they head to the polls and appears to become more important when voting in state or local elections.

Eighty-two percent of parent respondents said they “would be willing to vote for someone outside their political party if their views aligned on education,” and 83 percent agreed that “education has become a more important political issue to them than it was in the past.”

The survey also found satisfaction with the quality of children’s education is higher among families at charter schools than in public district schools (46 percent charter schools vs. 35 percent district schools).

American Experiment’s latest Thinking Minnesota Poll found dissatisfaction in the state’s public district schools is on the rise. Since March 2020, those who gave public district schools a D or F almost doubled.