Americans Still Trust Democrats More Than Republicans With Schools, Says New Poll
Amid the battle over American schools, a new poll says the public trusts Democrats over Republicans with regards to school.
According to The Morning Consult and Politico, American schools are in good hands with Democrats in control. The poll suggests American families trust Democrats more than they do Republicans when it comes to public school education. What these numbers also show is that while American’s still have faith in the Democratic leadership, that faith is waning.
Back in the day, before the COVID pandemic was unceremoniously introduced to our population, the general consensus surrounding American schools was that we were doing okay. We could be doing better, but we’re doing fine. Then came the pandemic and with that school closures, then hasty reopening with mask mandates, then more closures. Confidence in those running the nation began to dip, drastically, as children began to suffer.
Then came more fallout as American school’s public educators were exposed. Critical race theory became the main talking point. Its divisiveness crept into schools across the country, tearing at the already tenuous relationship between Democrats and Republicans. A race war was brewing and instead of trying to head it off at the pass, it became more politicized, expanding the gap between races.
If that wasn’t bad enough, gender identity joined the fray. American schools were now deciding that they should be the one who informs the young about gender and not parents. A gender identity war started pitting those running the asylum versus those who were trying to break out the inmates.
All of this was under Democratic leadership. Republicans have now made these issues their calling cards as the midterms approach. Numerous Republican-led states have passed bills or are in the process of passing laws that speak directly to concerned parents regarding American schools. These laws remove critical race theory teaching in public schools. These laws are setting strict guidelines as to how and when gender identity will be taught to the young. The goal, according to Republicans, is to return schools to what it was meant to be. Teaching students rather than “indoctrinating,” as many parents feel that is what’s happening with their children.
With all that said, with all that in the present and near future, Americans still feel Democrats have their backs in regards to American schools. The Morning Consult poll says so. Chances are, if this poll was taken pre-COVID pandemic, the numbers favoring Democrats would probably be much wider. Today, that gap has closed significantly.
The poll conducted by the Morning Consult along with Politico covered a plethora of topics – political, health-related, education, and more. In its 420 pages, the topic of education in American schools was raised a number of times. The one question we are going to focus on not only asks about education but its response is broken down into the two political parties – Democrats and Republicans.
The question, which included 13 other topics along with education, was presented as such: Who do you trust more to handle each of the following? In this case, “the following” was education within American schools. The survey was taken from March 11-14, 2022, and involved a total of 2,005 registered voters. Three choices were given as answers. (1) Democrats in Congress, (2) Republicans in Congress, or (3) Don’t know/no opinion.
The first breakdown was by total numbers. Of the registered voters polled, 43% say they trust Democrats in Congress. 39% claim to trust Republicans in Congress more, while a fairly large percentage, 18%, say they didn’t know or had no opinion. So, while Americans claim they trust Democrats in handling American schools more than they do Republicans, the Republican number is probably higher than expected, and that 18% of those who were unable to answer that question speaks volumes to what is being seen in our public education system today.
American schools are at a crossroads. Teachers’ unions wield an enormous amount of power that is having a drastic effect on how schools operate. The battle against critical race theory has hit a crucial point in schools as well as legislature. Gender identity is the next big talking point as parents want more transparency in school curriculums. Along with that transparency, parents are now asking for school choice. Republicans are willing to fight for all of those. Yes, Democrats are still more trusted than Republicans as far as education is concerned, but for how much longer?
