Nebraska Poll

A new poll out of Nebraska conducted on behalf of First Five Action found that voters across the political spectrum are experiencing the financial and economic toll of child care challenges and want candidates to have a plan to address them. The poll was conducted by the bipartisan research team of New Bridge Strategies (R) and Hart Research (D) amongst voters in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional district. 

As First Five Action Executive Director Sarah Rittling said:

“Nebraska voters want candidates to have a plan for addressing child care challenges. As this poll demonstrates, voters have seen first hand among their friends and coworkers what it means to have a lack of affordable, quality care. They understand the problem and now want to focus on solutions that address the hardships that families face. We look forward to working with candidates and lawmakers to bring dearly needed assistance to working families, employers, and especially kids.”

CHILD CARE CHALLENGES ARE TAKING A TOLL ON WORKING FAMILIES, EMPLOYERS, AND ECONOMY

Nebraska voters across the political spectrum have personal experience with child care challenges causing significant harm to families’ finances, employers’ ability to retain workers and the state’s economy broadly.

Child Care Challenges Negatively Affects Employers and Nebraska’s Economy

• 65% of voters say someone they know had to miss a shift or reduce hours at work because of a problem with their child care situation.
• 40% of voters say someone they know had to leave the workforce entirely because they could not find affordable child care.

Child Care Challenges Negatively Affects Families

• 57% of voters say someone they know had to cut back on other household essentials because they struggled to pay for child care.
• 42% of voters say someone they know has delayed having children or decided to not have children because child care is too expensive.
• And one in three say someone they know has had to go into debt to pay for child care.

AND VOTERS ARE THINKING ABOUT THIS GOING INTO THE 2024 ELECTION

Going into the 2024 election, an overwhelming majority of Nebraska voters (86%) want candidates to have a plan or policies ready to help working parents afford high-quality child care for ages five and under. This cuts across party lines, including: 

• 72% of Trump voters 
• 96% of Biden voter
• And 74% of Republicans, 87% of Independents, and 96% of Democrats.

VOTERS WANT SOLUTIONS

As Nebraskans look to candidates to provide a child care plan, voters across the political spectrum overwhelmingly support increasing federal funding to a federal program which allows states to expand their existing child care programs – otherwise known as the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG).

• 78% of voters support increasing federal funding to the states which allows them to expand their child care programs (known as CCDBG). This includes:
  • 63% of Republicans
  • 79% of Independents
  • 93% of Democrats
    

Note: The poll was conducted by live telephone interviews June 6th -9th with 602 likely voters in Nebraska’s second congressional district.