Poll: Americans generally favor school vouchers, but unsure of Bush plan
By CNN Polling Director Keating Holland
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A majority of Americans believe that school vouchers would improve public schools and most parents of school-age children say they would rather send their children to private or parochial schools rather than public schools. But vouchers are seen as less effective measures to improve schools than higher teacher pay and increased federal aid to local school districts, according to the latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll.
Forty-five percent say they favor the school voucher program George W. Bush has proposed. Only 36 percent oppose it, but about one in five are unsure, indicating that Bush will have to educate the public on the details of his plan.
Vouchers are also seen as less likely to improve schools than standardized tests -- another favorite Bush proposal during the campaign. Twenty-one percent say that vouchers would improve public schools a great deal and 33 percent say they would improve schools a fair amount.
But that 54 percent (21 plus 33) is lower than the 73 percent who say that standardized tests would improve schools a great deal or a fair amount. Topping the list: paying
teachers better -- traditionally a Democratic priority -- with 84 percent. And 80 percent
say that schools would improve a great deal or a fair amount if the federal government provided more money to local school districts to use as they see fit. However, only 66 percent say that schools would improve if the federal government provided more money for programs that the government specified, indicating that the public may have a preference for federal aid to school with no strings attached.
The poll consists of interviews with 1,018 adult Americans and was conducted January 5-7, 2001. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points unless otherwise indicated.
CNN/USA TODAY/GALLUP POLL
January 5-7
Based on what you have read or heard, do you favor or oppose the
federal income tax cuts George W. Bush has proposed?
Favor | 45% |
Oppose | 36 |
Unsure | 19 |
Sampling error: +/-3% pts |
Would vouchers improve the public school system?
Yes | 54% |
No | 38 |
Sampling error: +/-3% pts |
Would each of the following improve public schools?
Teacher salaries | 84% |
Aid to school districts | 80 |
Standardized tests | 73 |
School vouchers | 54 |
Charter schools | 53 |
Sampling error: +/-3% pts |
Will Bush be able to get his school voucher program passed?
Yes | 31% |
No | 53 |
Sampling error: +/-3% pts |
How would you rate the job the United States' public school system is
doing in educating our young people -- excellent, good, only fair, or poor?
Excellent | 6% |
Good | 31 |
Only fair | 38 |
Poor | 24 |
Sampling error: +/-3% pts |
Asked of parents of school-aged children: If cost were not a factor, where would you prefer to send a child of yours -- to a public school or to a private or parochial school?
Private school | 54% |
Public school | 46 |
Sampling error: +/-5% pts |
Increased federal funds would improve schools if...
| Yes | No |
School districts can |
use as they saw fit | 80% | 19% |
Federal government |
sets how funds are used | 66 | 30 |
Sampling error: +/-3% pts |
Standardized tests favored
Standardized tests are generally popular with the public, although most
Americans think it is unfair to use a single standardized test to determine
what a student knows and four in 10 doubt that standardized tests are an
accurate way to measure what students have learned.
Over three-quarters say that public school students should be required to pass a standardized test in order to be promoted to the next grade, and about as many think that
standardized tests would improve public schools.
But 53 percent say judging students based on a single standardized test is unfair. By a 54 percent to 41 percent margin, Americans say that standardized tests are an accurate way to measure students.
CNN/USA TODAY/GALLUP POLL
January 5-7
Should public school students be required to pass a standardized test
in order to be promoted to the next grade, or not?
Favor | 77% |
Oppose | 20 |
Sampling error: +/-4% pts |
Do you think standardized tests are or are not an accurate way to
measure whether students have learned what they need to in order to pass to the
next grade?
Yes | 54% |
No | 41 |
Sampling error: +/-3% pts |
Do you think it is fair or unfair to use a single standardized test
to determine what a student knows or has achieved?
Fair | 45% |
Unfair | 53 |
Sampling error: +/-3% pts |
Pessimistic on other Bush proposals
Six in 10 Americans favor Bush's proposal to allow people to invest a portion
of their Social Security taxes in stocks or bonds. That makes Bush's
privatization plan more popular than his tax cut or his school voucher program.
But Americans are pessimistic that Bush will be able to achieve any of his
proposals. Only 40 percent say he will be able to make the changes to Social
Security that he has proposed; just 31 percent say he will be able to pass his school
voucher program, and only 38 percent say he will get his tax cuts passed.
CNN/USA TODAY/GALLUP POLL
January 5-7
George W. Bush has made a proposal that would allow people to put a
portion of their Social Security payroll taxes into personal retirement
accounts that would be invested in private stocks or bonds. Do you favor or
oppose this proposal?
Favor | 60% |
Oppose | 36 |
Sampling error: +/-3% pts |
Do you think Bush will or will not be able to make the changes to
Social Security that he has proposed?
Yes | 40% |
No | 51 |
Sampling error: +/-3% pts |
Based on what you have heard, do you favor Bush's proposed changes to the following programs?
Social Security | 60% |
Tax cuts | 52 |
School vouchers | 45 |
Sampling error: +/-3% pts |
Do you think Bush will or will not be able to make the proposed changes to
the following programs?
| Yes | No |
Social Security | 40% | 51% |
Tax cuts | 38 | 50 |
School vouchers | 31 | 53 |
Sampling error: +/-3% pts |
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