Majority of parents want schools open
A majority of parents want to see schools in their community open, even if it's in a limited way; only a quarter say schools should be entirely closed. This comes as most parents don't think their children have been handling the past year of schooling "very well" -- not academically, nor emotionally, physically or socially. More say their children have been coping only "somewhat well" than "very well."
Moms and dads both say their communities' schools should be open.
Whether they feel their children have been handling this past school year well or not, most want schools open in some way. We see some differences in views depending on a parent's current work situation. Parents who are working outside the home are somewhat more likely than those working from home to want schools to be open completely with full classrooms for the whole day. Parents currently not working want their community's schools open even if in a limited way.
When asked who should make the decisions on schools, parents nationwide see a collective effort - that teachers, local school boards, scientists and, of course, parents all should have at least some say. Most think the federal and state government should be involved, but relatively fewer think they should have "a lot" of say.
Few parents are motivated by how opening schools would affect their child care costs, but on balance, more think having schools opened would help more than it will hurt.
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This CBS News survey was conducted by YouGov using a nationally representative sample of 2,382 U.S. residents, including 534 parents of school-aged children, interviewed between March 10-13, 2021. This sample was weighted according to gender, age, race and education based on the American Community Survey, conducted by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, as well as the 2020 presidential vote and registration status. The margin of error for the total sample is ± 2.2 points and +/- 4.7 points for the sample of parents of school-aged children.
For CBS News Eye on Trends articles posted before 3/15/2021, go here.
