Latest EdChoice Survey Reveals Teens’ Post High School Plans, Thoughts About Hybrid Learning, and More

National nonprofit releases new findings from polling teenagers and parents of high schoolers

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., May 9, 2022 – EdChoice, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization committed to empowering families to choose the best school environment for their children, released a new report describing what was learned in recent surveys of teenagers and parents of high school students this week. The organization surveyed approximately 1,000 students and 1,000 high school parents, providing critical insights into their schooling and educational experiences during the pandemic.

“It’s rare that we get this inside look at how our teenagers are feeling about their life, current events and issues in education,” said Robert Enlow, president and CEO of EdChoice. “These polling results provide valuable information about their state of mind, but also that of their parents, giving us information straight from the source.”

In partnership with Morning Consult, EdChoice surveyed nationally representative samples of American teens and high school parents from March 12 – March 27. The surveys asked both groups a number of similar questions, allowing for comparisons.
The results produced several interesting findings, including that high school parents and teens express very different outlooks about the future. While teens are more likely to feel neutral, parents are more optimistic about their child’s future. Additionally about half of teens still plan on attending college after high school, despite the pandemic’s influence. However, nearly 1 out of 10 indicate that, during the pandemic, they have changed their minds about attending college after high school.

EdChoice’s regular polling of teens also shows more than half saying they would like to learn at home at least one day per week. Finally, high school parents and teens seem to have different observations about how prevalent opinions on social/political issues are shared at school.

Other key findings include:

• The poll revealed that 60% of parents said their relationships with their teens had become stronger and only seven percent said that it had become weaker.
• When asked whether issues like stress, anxiety, personal mental health, motivation, and happiness have gotten better or worse during the pandemic, more teens have said they are feeling better and fewer teens are saying they are feeling worse.
• More than 70% of teens and parents alike think schools are welcoming places for children from different backgrounds. Parents are more optimistic about their child’s future, while teens are more likely to feel neutral, potentially indicating either uncertainty or indifference.
• Majorities of high school parents and teens believe their school is doing a good job promoting racial equality, fairness, respect, challenge, and providing supportive communications.
• Teens view improving education as one of the most important public policy issues right now.
• When broken down by demographic, male teenagers are much more likely than female teenagers to say things have improved since September.

EdChoice also reports a monthly poll of K-12 school parents and the general public. The next polling report will be released May 12. For more information on these monthly polls and previous results, click here.

About EdChoice
EdChoice is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization committed to understanding and pursuing a K–12 education system that empowers every family to choose the schooling environment that fits their children’s needs best. Founded on the principles and teachings of Milton and Rose Friedman, EdChoice believes that all families should be allowed to choose the best educational option for their children, regardless of their address, background or socioeconomic status. They are a trusted expert, backed by facts and fueled by passion. Their researchers provide the detailed data and thoughtful analysis to convince policymakers, educators and parents of the clear and indisputable benefits of educational choice. To access past reports, crosstabs, questionnaires, and our national and state dashboards, which are updated monthly, please Visit the EdChoice Public Opinion Tracker site. The site also provides a more in-depth description of our research and survey methods. For more information on EdChoice, visit: www.edchoice.org.

Methodology
On behalf of EdChoice, Morning Consult administered an online survey to a national sample of 1,000 Teens (ages 13-18) from March 12-27, 2022. A separate online survey was given to a national sample of 1,030 High School Parents from March 12-24, 2022. Interviews were conducted in English. Weights have been applied to the respondent data to ensure the survey samples are nationally representative. The demographic weighting targets for Teens are based on gender, age, race, and region. Targets for High School Parents are based on gender, age, race, and education. For more information about the polling methodology, visit: https://edchoice.morningconsultintelligence.com/methodology.