Voters Disapprove of Traditional K-12 Public School, But Many Support Publicly Funded Alternatives
A statewide poll of registered voters in Oklahoma conducted by Amber Integrated (AI) shows general dissatisfaction with K-12 public education. At 51 percent, a majority of voters say they disapprove of “the job K-12 public education is doing,” with 29 percent of all voters saying they “strongly” disapprove. Just 36 percent of voters say they approve of the job public education is doing, with only 12 percent saying they “strongly approve.”
Disapproval of public education is stronger among independents (57 percent) than Republicans (53 percent) or Democrats (46 percent).
Alternatives to Traditional Public Education Have Support Among Republicans and Independents
While voters are consistently unimpressed with public education, there is significant support for state-funded alternatives to traditional public schools, at least among independents and Republicans. We asked voters two questions about charter schools and vouchers, with our questions intended to measure a fair representation of the public debate about each.
On Charter Schools, respondents were presented this question:
Charter schools, which are rapidly growing across Oklahoma, are free public schools that are exempt from many of the rules and regulations that govern traditional public schools. Supporters argue that charters have better outcomes and provide more options to parents. Critics say they take money away from traditional public schools. Do you believe it is a good thing for Oklahoma to have more charter schools?
A plurality (48%) said they did think it was good for Oklahoma to have charter schools. That support for charters was highest among independents (55 percent of whom support more charter schools), remains high among Republicans (53 percent), but bottoms out with Democrats (just 38 percent of whom want more charters, compared to 49 percent who do not).
For vouchers, we asked voters:
The state of Oklahoma has several so-called “voucher” programs that allow parents to use their education tax dollars to pay for private school. Supporters say the programs helps parents afford the best education possible for their children. Critics say the programs take money away from public schools. Do you support or oppose these voucher-style programs?
Overall, the public was split on the issue of a voucher program, with 44 percent in favor and 39 percent opposed. However, support increased to 54 percent among Republicans and fell to 33 percent among Democrats. Independents are less likely to have made up their minds: 40 percent support vouchers; 25 percent oppose them and 35 percent are undecided.
Click here to see the crosstabs on these questions.
This survey was conducted from December 4-6, 2019 and included a pool of 500 registered Oklahoma voters. These survey results were weighted based on age, gender, party affiliation, and level of education. This survey has a margin of error of 4.38% at a 95% confidence interval. The poll surveyed both cell phones and landlines and used a combination of live callers and an online panel of registered voters.
