HOW UTAH FAMILIES REALLY FEEL ABOUT FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN

In March 2022, the Deseret News shared the results of a statewide poll regarding Utahns' support for optional full-day kindergarten.

The poll, conducted for the Deseret News and the University of Utah's Hinckley Institute of Politics, revealed that nearly 3/4ths of Utahns (72% of those surveyed) support a FDK option for families. Only 16% were opposed.

Dan Jones & Associates conducted the poll of 804 registered voters in Utah, with a margin of error of +/-3.45 percentage points.

This recent poll affirms the results of a 2021 statewide survey of 1,976 registered Utah voters conducted by Utah-based polling firm Y2 Analytics, with a margin of error of +/-2.2 percentage points. That poll found:

  • More than 2/3 of surveyed voters (68%) said they would "support the expansion of optional full-day kindergarten programs in all public schools throughout Utah."

    • In Davis County, 73% supported FDK expansion.

    • In Salt Lake County, 71% were supportive.

    • In Weber County, 65% were supportive.

    • In Utah County, 64% were supportive.

    • In Washington County, 59% were supportive.

    • Across all other counties, 67% of respondents supported FDK expansion.

  • A strong majority of surveyed voters expressed willingness to pay additional taxes to support FDK expansion to reach more Utah families.

    • Sixty-nine percent (69%) said they would pay an additional $5 in taxes each year to fund FDK expansion.

    • Fifty-seven percent (57%) said they would pay an additional $65 in taxes.

  • Utahns have largely positive perceptions of full-day kindergarten.

    • Three times as many Utah voters said that FDK is better than half-day kindergarten programs, than those who thought half-day was better.

    • About 2.5 as many agreed that expanding the availability of FDK programs would improve public education in Utah, than whose who disagreed.

    • A majority of survey respondents (56%) agreed that FDK programs help under-privileged Utah students catch up with their peers.

    • A majority (62%) also agreed that expanding FDK would strengthen our state economy by supporting more parents in working during the day.

  • When it was available to their families, Utahns preferred to participate in full-day kindergarten programming.

    • Among the survey respondents who actually had the chance to enroll their kids in a full-day program, 69% reported that they chose to participate.

    • Among the survey respondents who didn't have the chance to enroll in a full-day program, 58% reported that they would have enrolled their child in full-day kindergarten if they could have.