A national poll commissioned by the American Federation for Children found there is strong support for parental school choice among the public, in addition to expanding such options across the country.

The report—What Public Opinion Says about School Choice: An Analysis of Attitudes toward Educational Options in America—cites 15 different polls in recent years that reveal significant public support for parental school choice, specifically scholarship tax credit programs.

Among the findings:

• An overwhelming majority—85 percent of likely voters and 91 percent of Latinos—in five key states—Arizona, Florida, New Mexico, New Jersey, and Nevada—think scholarship tax credit programs should be available in some form, according to a May 2012 poll commissioned by the American Federation for Children and the Hispanic Council for Reform and Educational Options (HCREO);
• 65 percent said they support scholarship tax credit programs, while just 31 percent oppose them.
• In North Carolina, a survey (August 2011) of unaffiliated voters found that, by a 61 percent to 28 percent margin, respondents want more educational choice in the Tar Heel State. The support is bipartisan too—64 percent of Republican-leaning voters and 53 percent of Democratic-leaners support more school choice.

Currently there are 32 publicly-funded private school choice programs across the nation in 16 states and the District of Columbia.  Over 210,000 children received scholarships through these programs during in the 2011-12 school year.

Learn more about these findings here, and click here to see the full report.