In Surveying State Legislators: Views on K–12 Education, Choice-Based Policies, and the Profession, EdChoice Vice President of Research and author Paul DiPerna reports findings from a phone survey of 344 state legislators from across the country. We believe this is the first systematic phone-only survey of this population in more than 15 years. This Slideshare breaks down the findings to better inform educational choice and school choice advocates about state lawmakers’ opinions, behaviors and preferences. For the full report, visit http://www.edchoice.org/LegislatorSurvey.

1. SURVEYING STATE
BREAKING DOWN
LEGISLATORS
edchoice.org/LegislatorSurvey

2. Surveying State Legislators is the first
comprehensive phone-only survey to
ask state legislators how they make
decisions on K–12 issues.
EDCHOICE.ORG

3. We found many state legislators may be
unsure of the fastest-growing educational
choice policy in the nation: education
savings accounts (ESAs).
29% Didn’t Know or Didn’t Answer.
Based on what you know, or have heard from others…
In general, do you favor or oppose ESAs?
EDCHOICE.ORG

4. But once provided a description, we found
the majority of state legislators say they
would support ESAs, and the rest of the
nation agrees.
*edchoice.org/2015NationalSurvey
Favor Oppose
Legislators
National Average*
61%
62%
30%
28%
EDCHOICE.ORG

5. However, the majority of state lawmakers’
views on other types of school choice do not
appear to be aligned with the American public.
*edchoice.org/2015NationalSurvey
Legislators
National Average*
52% 40%
61% 33%
VOUCHERS
Legislators
National Average*
Favor Oppose
67% 22%
53% 27%
CHARTERS
EDCHOICE.ORG

6. Lawmakers are more likely to believe
K–12 education in their home states is
going in the right direction.
Right
Direction
Wrong
Track
49%
43%
EDCHOICE.ORG

7. Yet the rest of America doesn’t seem
to agree about the direction of K–12
education nationwide.*
Right
Direction
Wrong
Track
32%
60%
EDCHOICE.ORG*edchoice.org/2015NationalSurvey

8. There’s certainly more
educating to be done.
EDCHOICE.ORG

9. And it’s up to educational choice
advocates to find better pathways to
inform state legislators.
?
EDCHOICE.ORG

10. Here’s what we’ve learned
about state lawmakers’ habits
and preferences.
EDCHOICE.ORG

11. Lawmakers' biggest professional
challenges are:
Time Use and Management
Partisanship
Budgets and Finance
Constituent Services
Working on Legislation
36%
27%
18%
17%
16%
EDCHOICE.ORG

12. Most lawmakers love their jobs.
On a scale from 0 to 10, how likely is it that you
would recommend serving as a state legislator to
a friend or colleague?
Promoters (9 or 10)
Passives (7 or 8)
Detractors (0 to 6)
54%
31%
13%
EDCHOICE.ORG

13. Though, some more than others.
Northeastern Legislators
Midwestern Legislators
Southern Legislators
Western Legislators
68%
47%
62%
36%
PROMOTERS
EDCHOICE.ORG

14. State legislators say they are frustrated
because they spend:
Too little time communicating
on social media
Too much time attending
party-related meetings
Too little time working on legislation
Too much time fundraising
39%
21%
36%
17%
EDCHOICE.ORG

15. Most lawmakers pay attention to different media
on a daily basis to learn about K–12 education.
Read Local Newspaper
Personal Contact/Networks
Watch Major Networks' Nightly News Broadcasts
Watch Cable Network News
(CNN, Fox News or MSNBC)
Use Facebook
Listen to NPR
Use Twitter
41%
40%
31%
31%
26%
15%
11%
EDCHOICE.ORG

16. But most of all, state lawmakers prioritize
direct experiences to develop their
legislative priorities.
Communications with Constituents
Professional Experience
Personal Experience
Caucus Leadership
Interest Group Information
Hot Issues in the News
Surveys/Polls
85%
77%
76%
36%
27%
19%
13%
EDCHOICE.ORG

17. And personal networks and experiences are
their most-trusted sources when considering
K–12 education issues.
79%Personal Experience
Professional Experience
Caucus Leadership
Interest Group Information
Hot Issues in the News
Surveys/Polls
Communications with Constituents 82%
76%
32%
21%
14%
12%
EDCHOICE.ORG

18. Notably, the more likely a legislator is to
recommend their job to others, the more
likely they are to rely on the following to
inform their voting decisions:
-Caucus Leadership
-Interest Group Information
-Polling
EDCHOICE.ORG

19. Our No. 1 takeaway?
EDCHOICE.ORG

20. The work educational choice advocates
are already doing—promoting research
and data, engaging families—all
matters, but…
EDCHOICE.ORG

21. …because of their limited time and
capacity, lawmakers likely prefer to learn
about that work from the people closest
to them—their trusted personal
contacts and constituents.
EDCHOICE.ORG

22. To contact the author,
Vice President of Research and Innovation
Paul DiPerna, email paul@edchoice.org
EDCHOICE.ORG/LegislatorSurvey
For more regional and demographic
details from this survey, visit