New Poll Reveals a Youth Crisis and Consensus That Elected Officials Are Failing Young People

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 29, 2024—Today, Common Sense Media, the nation's leading advocacy group for children and families, kicked off its first annual Summit on America's Kids and Families with the findings of a new poll, which aims to illuminate current concerns among voters, kids, and teens, their hopes for the future, and the solutions that they believe can make real change.

"Even though the American people are more divided than ever, most can agree that our elected officials are completely failing young people. This poll suggests that everyone in this country—Democrat and Republican, parent and nonparent—has concerns for the future of America's children," said James P. Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media. "It's time for our leaders to put kids first and build policies that leverage the power of the federal government to support families everywhere."

The poll showed a strong bipartisan desire for the government to take action and make investments that better support kids and families. A few of the key takeaways include:

• Teens, young adults, and voters think we are in a crisis now, and less than a majority believe things will get better.
  • 78% of voters and 60% of teens think that politicians and elected officials are not doing well reflecting the needs, desires, and experiences of younger people in this country.
  • 67% of voters say the federal government spends too little on investments that benefit children and youth.
• Respondents—even those who are not parents—acknowledge the unprecedented economic hardship of being a parent and growing up in today's world.
  • About 9 in 10 (89%) parents of children age 0 to 18 agree that being a parent today is financially harder than ever before.
  • Over two-thirds of parents of children age 0 to 24 say it's difficult to afford the things they need to buy for their children.
  • 81% of voters are concerned about children's economic opportunities, including nonparents: Nearly half (48%) of nonparent voters believe that children today will be worse off in adulthood than they are.
• There is broad support for investment in education and mental health.
  • Improving and reforming education is by far the top recommendation to improve the lives of American children among Republicans (34%) and among Democrats (36%).
  • Voters lean toward describing the mental health of children in their community as "just fair" or "poor" (48%) rather than "excellent" or "good" (42%).
  • There's broad bipartisan appeal for schools to provide mental health services: 75% of Democrats and 61% of Republicans believe schools should provide access to mental health care.

The poll surveyed likely adult voters, as well as kids and teens age 12–17, in English and Spanish. For more information and topline findings from the poll, please visit www.commonsense.org/kids-and-families-in-america.

About Common Sense

Common Sense is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century. Learn more at commonsense.org.

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