GEEARS regularly surveys Georgia voters to better understand attitudes and opinions about early learning. We continuously find strong, bipartisan support for early care and education in Georgia. In September 2022, we conducted our latest poll and, again, found strong support for programs for our earliest learners.
The 2022 poll found that early childhood education, mental health supports, and paid family leave are important issues to Georgians. Highlights from the poll include:
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Nearly eight in ten (78%) agree that expanding access to high-quality child care gives parents the opportunity to participate in the workforce, which is good for Georgia’s economy.
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Nearly nine in ten (88%) support Georgia’s Lottery-funded Pre-K.
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More than eight in ten (83%) support increasing salaries for child care and preschool teachers.
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Most indicate they are more likely to vote for candidates who support early care & learning (55%) and mental health supports for children and families (68%).
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More than nine in ten (93%) agree that children’s social-emotional development during their early years is important to their later school success.
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Four in five support paid family leave, whether for the birth or adoption of a child (80%) or to care for themselves or a family member with an illness (83%).
Learn more from the 2022 Georgia Likely Voter Poll Materials!
These issues aren’t Republican. They’re not Democrat. They really operate outside of these polarized political boundaries here.
- Rob Schmidt, McLaughlin & Associates