Dive Brief:
- Only 25% of adult respondents to a Yahoo! News and YouGov poll said U.S. students today are receiving a better education than they did. Democrat respondents were more likely to say today's students are getting a better education, at 40%, compared to Republican respondents at 16%
- Just over half of the respondents — 52% — said the quality of education students receive today is fair or poor. Nine percent rated the current educational quality as excellent.
- When asked to reflect on the quality of education they received, 77% of respondents said their schooling was excellent or good. This is where Democrats and Republicans align — 82% of Democrats and 81% of Republicans give high ranks for the quality of their education.
Dive Insight:
This polling reflects other surveys that show sentiment for public education falling. It also documents the rising skepticism some have for what's taught in schools currently.
Higher percentages of respondents said what students are learning in schools about U.S. history, race relations and gender and sexuality is inaccurate.
When asked about challenges schools face, a high percentage of both Democrats and Republicans said a lack of funding is a major problem. A higher percentage of survey participants from both parties also said book bans were a major problem, with 59% of Democrats and 50% of Republicans in agreement on this.
School safety was also a concern for both Republicans and Democrats, with 68% of Democrats and 62% of Republicans citing it as a major problem.
The survey was conducted Dec. 15-19 and included 1,555 U.S. adult respondents.
