RESEARCH BRIEF

POLL: 2022 Colorado Voters on Education Issues
Charter schools have nearly a 3:1 favorable image and 76% of voters believe that parents should have a say in what their children are taught.

Ready Colorado commissioned a poll by Cygnal to measure where Colorado voters stand on important educational issues. Here is a brief summary of the results:

• Support for education choice and reform is incredibly strong.
• The country is headed way off on the wrong track (WT+43); Democrats are the only group with a positive
outlook on the country (RD+4).
• Coloradans believe the state is slightly on the wrong track (WT +1, RD +8 in 2019); UAFs say WT +9.
• When it comes to top issue for the state government, ending COVID and returning to normal is by far the
most popular choice (23%).
• Jared Polis is favorable in the eyes of voters (+1 net fav since 2019), and Michael Bennet is slightly favorable
(+3 net fav), yet 29% have NO/NHO him. President Biden is struggling at -14 net fav.
• CO state legislature (-3 net fav) has dropped 10 points in net favorability since 2019, while teachers’ unions
(-1 net fav) show the biggest drop in favorability at -23 net fav since 2019. Charter schools (+29 net fav)
have improved +6 net fav since 2019. Local school boards are underwater at -16 net fav.
• A plurality of voters believe students are underfunded, and 61% believe teachers are underpaid.
• 79% of voters think the CO government should better prioritize funding to increase education funding,
while 13% believe in raising taxes to increase the funding.
• Charter schools have nearly a 3:1 favorable image (58%-21%) among all voters, including a 4:1 favorable
image among parents (64%-16%).
• 76% of voters believe parents should have at least some say in what their child’s school teaches.

OTHER RESEARCH BRIEFS

The History of School Choice in Colorado

The History of School Choice in Colorado

From the birth of charter schools to Douglas County’s litigated Choice Scholarship Program, here’s the history of school choice in the State of Colorado.

What does the Colorado State Board of Education do?

What does the Colorado State Board of Education do?

Though the State Board of Education oversees and approves a multi-billion dollar budget and makes policies that govern Colorado’s 170+ school districts, it remains a relatively obscure aspect of our state’s government.