Nearly nine in 10 North Carolina voters across the political spectrum believe parents should be able to
take paid maternity or paternity leave following the birth or adoption of a child, according to a new poll commissioned by the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation (NCECF) and conducted by the bipartisan polling team of Public Opinion Strategies and Hart Research.
87 percent of North Carolina voters said they support paid leave following birth or adoption, and of those, 73 percent said they strongly support paid leave, according to poll findings released September 27.
NC voters recognize that early investments, including paid leave, have immediate and long-term benefits that include supporting children’s cognitive and social emotional development and growing a future skilled workforce.
Voters said early learning investments are very important to help children achieve their third-grade reading goals (80 percent); help children develop curiosity and a love of learning (80 percent) and help North Carolina have a larger pool of highly skilled workers in the long-term (76 percent).
“Voters understand that children’s healthy development requires a comprehensive set of resources available to all families, beginning with our babies and continuing through the birth-through-eight years,” said NCECF Executive Director Tracy Zimmerman. “Family Forward NC’s focus on workplace policies that impact young children and their families is one way to provide these resources and ensure our state’s children will be successful now and in the future.”
For an overview of the voter poll, including resources you can use to share results, click here or download an overview.