To determine public opinion on a variety of issues facing children and families in Minnesota, the Every Child Matters Education Fund, in coordination with the Minnesota Children’s Platform, commissioned Mason-Dixon Polling and Research to undertake a telephone survey in Minnesota among 625 likely general election voters. Respondents were selected at random. Mason-Dixon conducted the survey from May 1-3, 2006; the survey has an overall margin of error of ± 3.9 percent. The following summarizes key findings from the survey:

• Minnesota voters want candidates for office to provide a comprehensive agenda describing what they would do to meet the needs of children, youth, and families. 94% of voters say that it is important for candidates for office to have a comprehensive children’s agenda – with a solid majority (62%) finding it very important. Women show more intensity about this than men with women under 45 strongest in their opinion. Large majorities of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans – including a majority of Independent and Republican women – want candidates to provide a comprehensive children’s agenda. More detail
  
• Most Minnesota voters do not believe things have improved for children in the past five years. 40% say conditions have deteriorated and 44% think conditions have stayed the same. Only 15% say they have improved. Mothers, especially working mothers are most critical. Only 3% of working mothers say things have gotten better for children over the past five years. Voters most concerned about children, those rating it as the most important issue, view things most negatively (49% gotten worse).
• Voters overwhelmingly oppose the federal budget cuts in children’s programs approved by the US Congress earlier this year and the further cuts proposed by the President in the 2007 budget. Earlier this year, the U.S. Congress voted to cut $35 billion from such programs as federal student loans, Medicaid and child health programs, and child care, and President Bush proposed further cuts in this year’s budget. 70% of voters say they oppose these budget cuts.  Women are most opposed to these cuts. There is no constituency for budget cuts to children’s programs.  Only 27% of voters support these cuts.  Democrats are solidly opposed and a majority of Republicans oppose them.  Both moderates (82%) and independents (70%) strongly oppose these cuts. More detail
  
• Voters choose improving the health, education, and well-being of children and youth as the most important issue facing the federal and state government, ahead of improving the economy and creating jobs, taxes, homeland security, immigration, senior issues, and transportation. When given a choice of issues, 59% of all voters choose improving the health, education, and well-being of children and youth as either the most, or second most, important issue facing Minnesota. Groups rating children’s issues the highest include younger women, independent women, mothers, and liberal and moderate voters. More detail
  
• Voters express deep concern about specific problems facing children and families in Minnesota. Issues most affecting voters are ones where kids face severe daily challenges – child abuse, living in meth labs, homelessness, poverty, and getting enough food. Also of concern are educational challenges such as the large percentage of fourth graders not passing basic reading tests, the dropout rates among students overall and racial and ethnic minorities specifically, and not entering kindergarten prepared. More detail
  
• To address these issues, majorities of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans support investments in children and youth, including child abuse prevention, universal child health coverage, expanding preschool opportunities, expanding child care, and improving schools. More detail
  
• By a nearly four-to-one margin, voters are much more concerned about children in Minnesota not having adequate educational opportunities, health coverage, and protection from abuse than they are about taxes being too high. 68% of voters say they are more concerned that children will not have adequate opportunities while just 18% are worried more that state taxes will be too high. Republicans concurred by a 53% to 29% margin.
• Finally, voters in Minnesota look at the issue of investing in children as a moral issue. 81% of voters agree, including 55% who agree strongly, with the statement “it is our moral responsibility to make sure all children have the opportunity to succeed and it is important for government to invest in children’s programs proven to reduce child abuse, improve child health, and better educate our children.”  Only 18% disagree with it. Large majorities of Republicans (65%), Independents (82%), and Democrats (93%) agree with this.