Parents Defending Education National Poll: Americans Overwhelmingly Reject “Woke” Race and Gender Policies in K-12 Education

Commentaries


The first national poll to ask detailed questions of American voters about efforts to impose Critical Race Theory and “social justice” curriculum on K-12 schools found overwhelming opposition to it and strong support for a de-politicized curriculum.

Click here to read the full poll. 

The poll of more than 800 active voters was in the field from April 9th – 19th 2021. Key findings include: 

  • 70% of respondents said it is not important or not at all important for schools to “teach students that their race is the most important thing about them” versus 25% who said this is somewhat or very important.
  • 74% said they opposed teaching students that white people are inherently privileged and black and other people of color are inherently oppressed. Only 6% of respondents favored schools assigning white students the status of “privileged” and non-white students the status of “oppressed” – versus 88% opposed, including 78% strongly opposed.
  • 69% opposed schools teaching that America was founded on racism and is structurally racist.
  • 75% oppose teaching there is no such thing as biological sex, and that people should choose whatever gender they prefer for themselves. Only 18% supported teaching such concepts. 
  • 80% oppose the use of classrooms to promote political activism to students, including 64% who strongly oppose.
  • When asked whether teachers should present students with multiple perspectives on contentious political and social issues, 87% agreed, compared to 6% who believe teachers should present one perspective that the school believes is correct.
  • When asked whether their local K-12 school has increased or decreased its emphasis on issues of race, gender, and activism in the last two years, 52% said it had increased a lot or a little. Only 2% said it had decreased. Similarly, 57% said their local schools had become more political, with only 4% saying less political.

Click here to read the full poll.