Beyond the Sound Bite: Public Opinion About Children's Issues
- Westen Strategies report on messaging and child policy issues
- Questions voters can pose to candidates for office
Public opinion polls consistently show that voters want policy makers to support children’s services and invest in children. “Protecting children from abuse and neglect,” “ensuring health coverage for children,” and “providing high quality education to all children” consistently rate higher than “promoting economic development,” “maintaining roads and bridges,” and “providing for law enforcement and crime control” as high priority government responsibilities.
At the same time, while over two-thirds of Iowa’s state budget is devoted to the health, education, safety, and security of children and over $100 billion annually is invested in children’s services federally, core children’s issues often do not receive much attention in debates, candidate press releases, or brochures. At best, they may receive some attention in a 30-second advertisement or sound bite.
Every candidate running for office states he or she is for children, but voters will need to drill down beyond these sound bites if they are to hold candidate’s accountable for presenting their details approaches on these issues.
There are differences in how different candidates view supporting children and what investments society will make in their health, education, and safety.
Westen Strategies report on messaging and child policy issues
Westen Strategies conducted recent polling of American voters on what messages resonated with voters about children and how they compared with views about government as a whole. The memorandum from Westen Strategies goes into detail on how the public views the needs to invest in children, even in very difficult economic times.
- Westen Strategies memo: Speaking of Children (July 2010)
Questions voters can pose to candidates for office
Voters can raise children’s issues with their own contacts with candidates. While the itsaboutourkids state questions were posed to Gubernatorial candidates, they also can be raised to state legislative candidates. While the federal questions were posed to U.S. Senate candidates, they also can be raise to U.S. Congressional candidates.
