Does the public really want school choice?
A majority of the American public – black, white and Hispanic – supports school choice for all parents and the rights of parents to send their children to a school that reflects their values and beliefs. School choice is supported by people on both sides of the political aisle. Most important, parents of all backgrounds support school choice, because they know it is best for their children.
No doubt about it! In numerous polls conducted over the last few years, most Americans express support for school choice.For example, the 2003 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll found that 62% of Americans would use a full tuition voucher to send their child to a private school. Another poll by the First Amendment Center found that 62% of Americans agree that parents should have the option to send their children to non-public schools using vouchers. These findings mirror polls conducted in 2000 by the Washington Post, the Pew Research Center and NBC News, which found 49%, 53% and 56% support for vouchers respectively.A 2004 Friedman Foundation poll, conducted by leading research firm Wirthlin Worldwide, found that school choice support reached levels of 64%. Among blacks and Hispanics support is even higher. The 2002 national opinion poll by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Study found 57% support for vouchers among blacks, 75% support among blacks under 35 and 74% support among bl
