As debates swirl around education and the material being presented to children in government-run schools, a notable swath of Democratic voters has spoken: LGBTQ curriculum is in, and opting out is, well, out. A new survey revealed an alarming, but not surprising, percentage of Democrats aren’t keen on the idea that parents should decide how their children are educated.
The findings of a brand-new Pew Research Center survey highlight a stark contrast between how left-leaning Americans view this issue and how the rest of the population looks at it. The survey asked respondents whether they believe parents should be allowed to opt their children out of learning about topics related to race and LGBTQ matters. Overall, most American voters believe parents should have this right when it comes to “sexual orientation or gender identity.”
In a separate survey, we asked Americans if parents should be able to opt their children out of learning about certain topics in school if the way they’re taught conflicts with the parents’ personal views or beliefs.
A diverging bar chart showing that a majority of Americans say parents should be able to opt their children out of learning about LGBTQ issues in school.
54% think parents should be able to opt their children out of learning about sexual orientation and gender identity.
34% say the same when it comes to learning about racism and racial inequality.
Republicans and Republican leaners are far more likely than Democrats and Democratic leaners to say that parents should be able to opt their children out of learning about these topics in school:
79% of Republicans say this about LGBTQ issues, compared with 32% of Democrats.
55% of Republicans say this about racism and racial inequality, compared with 16% of Democrats.
Notably, the poll showed that about 51 percent of Democratic respondents indicated that parents should not be allowed to opt their children out of teaching on sexual orientation or gender identity, while 32 percent disagreed. Even more interesting, but not surprising, is how these results broke down among racial minorities. Black Democratic respondents were the only left-leaning group that had a majority (46 percent), indicating that parents should have the choice to opt their children out. Only about 34 percent of this group believed the school should decide without parents.
The implications of these findings touch on the tensions between fostering an inclusive environment for all students while also respecting the rights of parents who might feel the curriculum is not appropriate for their children. The fact that most Democratic voters are on board with ignoring parental rights when it comes to teachings about sensitive matters illustrates why progressives have had such success in pushing their ideology using government-run schools, using them to indoctrinate children into Marxist ideology.
These results present yet another reason why school choice is imperative. With leftist forces pushing further to use government-run schools to indoctrinate children, the ability to decide where and how their children are educated has become paramount. It is also why progressives seek to limit parents’ choices in this regard, opposing school choice legislation in various states.
