Most Americans said the costs of child care are a “major problem,” and most are in favor of efforts to provide free or low-cost day care, according to a survey released Thursday.
The new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found that most Americans surveyed, 76 percent, agreed that the cost of child care is a major issue, while 18 percent said it is a “minor” problem. Some 5 percent said it is not a problem.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents, 64 percent, were in favor of providing free or low-cost day care for kids who are too young to attend public school. About 15 percent opposed it, while another 20 percent were neither in favor nor opposed to the option.
The majority of Americans surveyed, 67 percent, said they want the federal government to require employers to provide paid leave for new parents, according to the poll. Around 12 percent were not in favor, while another 20 percent were neither in favor nor opposed to it, according to the poll.
“Everyone kind of agrees that it’s a problem that we need to address. By having this issue out there, it really is driving a lot of bipartisan conversations,” Sarah Rittling, the executive director of the First Five Years Fund advocacy organization, told the AP.
Both Democrats and Republicans have at times offered support for expanding the child tax credit, arguing it would be a way to help families. More than 7 in 10 respondents, 72 percent, said they were supportive of increasing the annual child tax credit from $2,000 to $2,500 for parents who are U.S. citizens, according to a Washington Post/Ipsos poll that was released in mid-June.
The AP-NORC survey was conducted June 5-9 among 1,158 adults. The margin of error was 4 percentage points.
