Poll Reports

Average total cost for the school year was $302 per student in sports, $218 for arts, and $124 for clubs. 27% of parents from lower-income families cited a drop in participation in school activities due to cost. 1 in 4 students from lower-income families did not participate in any school activities in 2015-16.

Most parents say schools should, and do, teach wellness, drug/alcohol abuse, and sex education. Two-thirds of parents say schools definitely should cover emotional/mental health, yet only one-third say it is currently covered. Over 60% of parents want students to learn basic first aid and CPR.

For black adults, racial inequities and school violence are the #2 and #3 health concerns – neither of which appears in the Top 10 list for white adults. Black adults are the only group with gun injuries and hunger ranked in the Top 10. Childhood obesity and drug abuse are in the top three “big problems” for white and Hispanic adults, but lower on the list for black adults.

4 of 5 parents are very confident that their tween will know what to do in a storm or fire if home alone. Only about half of parents are confident that their tween will not play with guns if home alone. Mothers and fathers have similar levels of confidence in tweens’ safety practices.

Child abuse and neglect was identified most frequently by the public as a child health priority for Presidential candidates. Alcohol/smoking/drug use, as well as nutrition, hunger, and obesity, were also child health priority areas for at least half of U.S. adults.

One half of parents reported their child had leftover pills from a pain medication prescription. Only one third of parents said that the prescribing provider discussed what to do with the child’s leftover pain medication.

55% of adults perceive the mental/emotional health of kids today to be worse than when they were kids. 42% of adults perceive the physical health of kids today to be worse than when they were growing up. 65% of adults perceive less quality family time for kids today compared with when they were growing up.

Nearly one-third (30%) of parents have looked at online doctor ratings for themselves or a family member in the past year. 69% of parents believe doctor rating websites may have fake ratings. 11% of parents have left a rating about a doctor.

One-third of parents say flu vaccine is less important for their child than other vaccines. Negative beliefs about flu vaccine safety and efficacy are more prevalent among parents of children who do not get flu vaccine. One-third of parents of non-vaccinated children say the doctor recommended flu vaccine less strongly than other vaccines.

Teens say their parents have placed fewer limits on their driving than were reported by their parents. 73% of parents restrict their teens from texting while driving. 61% of parents do not allow their teens to drive after 10:00 p.m.