Probe Research poll shows huge public support for child care in Manitoba!
Child care is a very high priority for Manitobans, according to a Probe Research poll, September 2016. Three in four surveyed agree a universal child care system, where every child who needs a space gets one, ought to be a priority of the new Progressive Conservative government. As of September 30, 2016 there are 15, 273 children on the online registry wait list, an increase of over 3200 in the past 9 months. The shortage of licensed child care creates significant anxiety for families, worried they will not have a reliable space when they need it. A majority of Manitobans (58%) agree they are willing to pay a little more in taxes for a universal child care system.
Other findings from the public survey on child care include:
- more than 80% of Manitobans agree the lack of child care is a serious issue
- 75% agree early childhood educators should be paid more
- 75% think child care is too expensive for many parents
- 64% agree child care should be part of the education system
- Only 11% think it’s easy to find child care in Manitoba
- Winnipeg residents and those with a child in child care prefer child care centres; rural residents and middle aged men prefer home based child care
To evaluate public opinion on child care, MCCA hired Probe Research to design and conduct the province wide Omnibus poll via telephone interviews between September 13 and September 26, 2016 among a random and representative sampling of 1,000 adults residing in Manitoba. The results are within +/-3.1 percentage points of what they would have been if the entire adult population of Manitoba had been interviewed.
MCCA will be sharing poll results with federal and provincial government leaders and policy makers to ensure they are aware of the need to develop a quality, affordable, reliable child care system that Manitoba families can count on.
Probe Research is completing three additional surveys for MCCA, including a survey of parents with children currently attending licensed child care, a survey of the child care workforce, and a poll of business leaders to gather information on how child care availability affects the workplace. Results will be made available in the coming weeks.