VEEU Poll Fact Sheet

VEEU POLL FACT SHEET

Vermont Voters Support Bargaining for Early Childhood Educators, Poll Finds
A strong majority of Vermont voters favors allowing early childhood educators to engage in collective bargaining with the state, finds a telephone survey completed by Hart Research Associates, a leading survey research firm that has conducted over 5,000 public opinion surveys.
In a poll conducted among 604 registered voters in Vermont in December 2011, Hart Research found that by 26 percentage points, voters support the bill to allow early childhood educators to engage in collective bargaining with the state on issues that the state controls, such as child care subsidies and professional development (58% favor, 32% unfavorable, 10% unsure). (The margin of error for the survey is + or – 4.1 percentage points.)
The survey found that broad support for the bill exists across the electorate regardless of age, gender or education. Voters in the southern counties of Vermont are particularly supportive (65%). Strong majorities of Democrats (73%) and Independents (59%) support the bill.
Hart Research Associates found that the legislation is popular with voters because it speaks to two important themes in Vermont politics – quality early childhood education and a decent standard of living for all workers.
A strong majority of voters who support the legislation see high quality early childhood as a smart investment in Vermont’s future. It means children begin kindergarten ready to learn and the state saves money down the road. In addition, 69% of voters are convinced that the quality of care and education a child receives is directly related to the adult responsible for the child’s care and education. Voters agree that Vermont must support the profession of early childhood educators in order to raise the standard of quality.
The survey found that making sure that all Vermont children have access to high quality early childhood education and care is important to 83% of voters.
Further, a decent standard of living for all workers is important to Vermont voters. More than nine in 10 (92%) of voters feel that making sure working people in Vermont can earn a decent standard of living is an important goal to them personally. A strong majority of voters who support the legislation are concerned about the low income and lack of benefits experienced by early childhood educators.