LOUISVILLE, Colo. — Democrats and Republicans are often starkly divided when it comes to issues like gun control, reproductive rights and climate change. Now, we can add masks mandates in schools to the list.
A new survey conducted by Magellan Strategies found that parents in Colorado are split, often along political lines, when it comes to policies like mask and vaccine requirements in schools.
In a survey conducted from August 9 to August 16, Magellan Strategies polled 516 Coloradans who have kids in grades K-12. The survey addressed mask mandates, vaccine requirements, as well as preference for in-person or remote learning.
Over half of respondents had at least two children in K-12 schools, and 75 percent of the parents said their children were enrolled in public schools.
The survey results are especially timely as many students in Colorado and beyond have returned to school recently. Across the country, school board meetings have been jam-packed with engaged parents—and in some cases, enraged parents—while local officials decide things like mask mandates and vaccine requirements.
Many parents are wondering: How will my children stay safe at school?
Mask mandates were the most closely divided topic in Colorado: 50 percent of respondents to the Magellan survey opposed mask mandates for K-12 students, 48 percent said they were in favor, and 2 percent said they were undecided or had no opinion.
Unsurprisingly, there were vast differences in opinions on mask mandates between Democrats and Republicans: 83 percent of respondents who identified as Democrats were in favor of mask mandates, while 79 percent of Republicans were opposed to the mandates.
There were similar disparities on the question of vaccine mandate for teachers and staff.52% of parents favored the mandates and 45 percent were opposed. Again, it was a very political issue: 82 percent of Democrats favored the mandates, compared to just 29 percent of Republicans.
A majority of parents were opposed to vaccine mandates for students. The pollsters noted that for questions about mandates, whether for masks or vaccines, parents in urban areas were more likely to be supportive compared to parents in rural areas.
Parents were also asked “Do you approve or disapprove of how your local school district addressed the coronavirus last year?”
53 percent of parents approved, and 40 percent disapproved (7 percent were unsure or had no opinion). Overall, they agreed that Colorado schools did a good job providing technology for online learning, but felt the schools have room for improvement when it comes to meeting students’ mental health needs.
You can find the full survey results here.
Kyle Cooke is the Digital Media Manager at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach him at kylecooke@rmpbs.org.
