Parental majority supports ongoing mitigation measures
As the pandemic continues to hold society in a limbo of sorts medically, culturally, and scholastically, school parents are of many minds about how best to monitor their childrens’ mental health, academics, and safety as schools across the state work on their Covid recovery plans.
That uncertainty is mirrored in the results of a new statewide poll released on Monday by The MassINC Polling Group.
The academic, mental health, and security concerns about students who, with their families, entered into a strange new world when the coronavirus surged in March 2020, remain daunting today as step by staggered step, society is moving toward a kind of normality in daily life. The poll found that 48 percent of parents remain at least somewhat concerned about their child getting infected at school, with a majority supporting for testing programs and other mitigation measures.
There has been some diminution in some areas of concern, the survey shows. While from 60 percent of parents expressed worry about their childrens’ mental health in February 2021, that number had dropped to 48 percent in this poll. Still, among parents concerned about the issue, just 48 percent say they were offered help by their schools.
In other areas, the polling showed:
• 22 percent of parents believe their children are still behind grade level. That’s unchanged since an October 2021 survey by the MassINC Group, and far more than thought so pre-pandemic.
• Among parents who believe their kids are behind, 62 percent think schools should be doing more than they are to help students catch up. When asked what would be most useful, parents cited the need for a range of academic and classroom supports.
• Mental health concerns are very often intertwined with academic hurdles. In all, 74 percent of parents who see their children as behind grade level also reported mental health concerns, far higher than parents of those with fewer academic challenges (41 percent). Mental health concerns were also greater among parents of English learners (63 percent) and students with Individual Education Plans (61 percent).
• There are sharp differences in how parents view the pandemic itself. About half (52 percent) say “we should accept more risk in general so our children can have full experiences in school and activities,” while 40 percent believe “we should generally limit risk, so our children are better protected from infection.”
• The more risk tolerant view is most prevalent among white (56 percent), Asian American (57 percent), and upper income parents (58 percent).
Others are less likely to share this view including Latino parents (37 percent), Black parents (42 percent) and those in lower income households (37 percent).
• Black parents are most concerned about infection at school, with 69 percent somewhat or very concerned compared to 45 percent of white parents. Across race groups, lower income parents are more concerned about infection than are upper income parents.
• 80 percent of Black parents support a mask mandate, compared to 50 percent of white parents. Asian American parents support the full range of mitigation measures, with at least 70 percent support for each. Two thirds or more of Latino parents are on board with each measure other than a student vaccine mandate.
• Vaccination rates for students of all ages are lagging, particularly among younger and lower income children, a result that meshes with state statistics. Vaccination mandates are less popular than other mitigation measures, with 61 percent support for a teacher/staff vaccine mandate and 54 percent for students.
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About the poll: The results are based on a survey of 1,469 parents of K-12 students in Massachusetts. Live telephone interviews and online interviewing were conducted in English and Spanish from March 17 – April 11, 2022. Telephone respondents were reached by both landline and cell phone. Oversamples of Black, Latino, and Asian respondents were obtained to bring the total interview count up to at least 250 for each group for the base sample. Results within race and ethnicity were weighted to age, gender, geography, and education level for each group. Groups were then combined and weighted to the population parameters by race for the state as a whole. The poll was sponsored by The Barr Foundation with major project input and assistance from the Education Trust.
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The MassINC Polling Group is a nonpartisan public opinion research firm serving public, private, and social-sector clients.
