Californians' Attitudes Toward Education and School Vouchers

To help Californians and policymakers gain a better understanding of what the public thinks about education and school vouchers, Policy Analysis for California Educaiton (PACE) conducted a poll of more than 1,400 adult Californians (including an oversample of more than 500 African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians).

This report provides a comprehensive snapshot of public opinion that can help voters, parents, taxpayers, educators, and policymakers understand more about potential new directions for improving education. Conducted for PACE by Penn & Schoen Associates (now PBS Insights) from September 4 to 18, 1993 the poll attempts to understand the landscape for change in education policy among the general public. PACE explored what Californians want in their schools; their readiness to change and willingness to move in new directions; and underlying attitudes toward education and vouchers that could affect future policy decisions.

The poll examines:

• where education stands as a public priority;
• satisfaction with public and private schools;
• attitudes toward vouchers in general and Proposition 174 in particular,
• public acceptance of possible trade-offs Proposition 174 could trigger;
• differences and similarities of Californians by race, socio-economic status, religion, region, etc.