Bipartisan, Grassroots Support Demonstrated for School Choice in Beacon Center Poll

Beacon Center of TN released their first edition of The Beacon Poll, a quarterly survey of Tennesseans on politics, policy, and culture. Of this project, President and CEO of Beacon Center, Justin Owens, writes, “Groups and politicians conduct polls all the time, giving us a glimpse into voters’ perspectives on elections and pressing issues. But there is no consistent statewide survey that accurately assesses where Tennesseans stand on matters impacting their lives on an ongoing basis. Until now.”

On the topic of school choice, Beacon’s email announcement reads:

In this first poll, we found that voters from both parties are clearly eager for change when it comes to education. Only 36% of voters are satisfied with the K-12 public education system in the state, while 56%, including a plurality of Democratic voters, are unsatisfied with the current public education system. This was apparent when voters were asked about educational choice, Education Savings Accounts, and charter schools. A whopping 77% of Tennesseans agree that more public and private educational choices are needed, while only 9% disagree. When it comes to Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), the vast majority of voters (69%) believe that the program should be expanded statewide; only 17% disagree. The most notable finding was that ESAs are extremely popular even with Democratic voters (61%-26%).  Additionally, the expansion of public charter schools to all counties was widely popular with 65% of Republicans, 59% of Democrats, and 69% of Independents all supporting the expansion.

To stay updated on the latest great work from Beacon, sign up for their email updates here!