Priorities USA Conducts Poll on Education Issues Facing Americans

Global Strategy Group recently conducted a public opinion survey August 14-16, 2012 among 1,000 adults across ten states to measure attitudes surrounding the issue of education. Key findings from that survey are outlined below.

• Education ranks high on the policy agenda and is considered as important an issue as addressing the federal budget deficit. Three-quarters (73%) of respondents believe education is an important issue for the federal government to address – on par with issues like the federal budget deficit (73%), health care (74%), and taxes (72%) and ahead of issues like national security (66%) and the environment (47%).  The only issue significantly more important to respondents is jobs and the economy (90%). 

• Two out of three respondents (67%) do not think that the federal government is focusing enough on education.  Of nine issues tested, education topped the list of issues that respondents believe are not getting enough attention.  Education ranks well above issues like the deficit (53% say not enough focus), health care (39%) and taxes (39%).
• This is especially true among women (70%) and younger adults (78%), ages 18-49, with seven out of ten believing that more of a focus should be on education. 

• On a list of 14 ideas tested to improve public school education in America, the top-testing items focused on linking education to the economy with job training and investments in math & science.   The two best test-testing ideas are that America should:
• “Focus education on real-world job training to prepare students for the jobs on tomorrow” (77% say this is an important goal).
• “Expand math and science education for students to ensure America stays competitive in the global economy” (75% say this is an important goal).

• Given support for the expansion on math and science education, it is no surprise that Americans are overwhelmingly supportive of the “federal government making significant investments aimed at improving public school achievement in math and science.”  Nearly four out of five respondents (79%) support the federal government making such an investment.  Importantly, 70% remain supportive of such an investment even after they are read an opposition argument saying that we cannot afford to be making such investments at the federal level due to the budget deficit.