Education is a key talking point for politicians these days, and the latest Fox News Poll finds parents are more concerned about book banning than they were last year. Meanwhile, concern for what their kids are being taught in school has decreased, albeit only by a few points.
Seventy-seven percent of parents are extremely or very concerned about book banning by local school boards, up 11 points since last May, when 66% were troubled.
At the same time, 73% are anxious about what is taught in public schools, a seven-point drop from last year (80%).
Moms are more worried about book banning (80%) than what is being taught in schools (72%), while concern is about even among dads (73% book, 75% curriculum).
When parents are asked about 14 different issues, book banning and school curriculum land in 4th and 6th place respectively. Parents are most concerned about inflation (92%), higher crime rates (88%), and political divisions (78%), followed by book banning and the U.S. banking system (77% each), the amount they pay in taxes (75%), and school curriculum (73%).
BIDEN’S APPROVAL DROPS AS VAST MAJORITY OF AMERICANS WORRY ABOUT CRIME IN THEIR COMMUNITIES
A shooter opened fire in a private Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 27, killing six, including three students. The survey was conducted March 24-27.
Among parents, gun laws rank 9th in the list of worries, but that is still two-thirds expressing concern (67%).
More than three-quarters of parents (78%) are supportive of President Biden’s executive order requiring criminal background checks for all gun buyers. Among all registered voters, 74% approve of Biden’s gun order.
Overall, book banning ties for the fourth spot among other issues, with 71% concerned. Sixty-nine percent are concerned about what is being taught in the schools, which places it in the fifth spot among other issues. More voters worry about inflation (90%), higher crime rates (87%), and political divisions (83%) — just like parents.
Partisanship affects what voters prioritize: Democrats’ top two concerns are political divisions and climate change, while it is inflation and higher crime rates for Republicans.
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Conducted March 24-27, under the joint direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R), this Fox News Poll includes interviews with 1,007 registered voters nationwide who were randomly selected from a voter file and spoke with live interviewers on both landlines and cellphones. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points for all registered voters.