In the annual USC Rossier and Policy Analysis for California Education poll, around 2,000 California voters, parents and students ranked gun violence in public schools as their top concern for the fourth consecutive year. In the poll, voters most strongly supported policies that would increase reporting on potential threats and “harden” schools, such as requiring school administrators to report shooting threats, increasing the frequency of active shooter drills and installing metal detectors in schools. The poll, titled “Assessing Voters’ and Parents’ Perspectives on Current Threats to Public Education,” surveyed voters on the urgency of eight issues threatening public education: gun violence, politicization of public education, controversy over curriculum, student learning and health, disenrollment, staffing shortages, college affordability and a lack of stable long-term funds. Fielded in July and published in August, the poll also examined the systemic equity gaps rooted in opportunity and access to education. In previous years, when asked to measure issues on a scale from 1 (not important) to 10 (very important), voters rated reducing gun violence along an average of 8.47 to 8.63. This year, the average rating rose to 9.06. Julie Marsh, co-author of the poll and professor of education at the Rossier School of Education, said that while the emphasis on reducing gun violence in schools is not new, the overwhelming support in this year’s poll is surprising. According to Marsh, it may be a result of recent shootings like the May shooting in Uvalde, Texas, or an increase in social media use. “Certainly, social media has made it much easier to build public support for ideas to organize folks to share information,” Marsh said. “And so certainly, it’s an important political tool when it comes to advocating for policies and elevating the importance of policy-relevant topics.”