A sizeable majority of voters, regardless of political party identification, say that finding quality, affordable child care is difficult in New Jersey and a significant barrier to parents’ employment with effects on the state’s businesses and economy, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton Poll in collaboration with Start Strong NJ.
“When voters talk about affordability in this election, child care is part of that story,” said Ashley Koning, an assistant research professor and director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. “While it’s not always discussed explicitly, child care is inextricably intertwined with economic well-being and opportunity for many voters.”
“These survey results won’t surprise hardworking parents in New Jersey who struggle to balance economically supporting their families and giving their children the strong start they need in life,” said Atiya Weiss, executive director of the Burke Foundation in Princeton, N.J., which helps fund Start Strong NJ. “The findings should convince policymakers that child care is essential infrastructure, just like roads, schools, broadband, power lines, and many other things we invest in as a society for the well-being of communities and the state’s economic health.”
Nearly 7 in 10 likely voters say it is “very” (34%) or “somewhat” (34%) difficult to find quality and affordable child care in New Jersey. A majority of voters, regardless of partisanship, gender, race and ethnicity, age, income, and education, feel it is at least somewhat difficult to find care. Nonparents and parents alike agree, though parents are more likely to say it is difficult (77%) than nonparents (65%). To read the full story.