Survey: Majority of voters think elected leaders should prioritize early childhood programs

A new poll confirms that it’s all about the keiki on the Big Island and O‘ahu.

Results of the poll released Monday show more than 90% of Hawai‘i Island and O‘ahu voters strongly support early childhood programs and think these programs should be a priority for future leaders and supported within the county budgets on those islands.

Voters also were significantly more inclined to support candidates who commit to prioritizing child care in their county budgets.

The poll was sponsored by Commit to Keiki, a non-partisan education initiative created by partners within the Early Childhood Action Strategy collaborative including the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, Hawai‘i Community Foundation, Kamehameha Schools, The Omidyar ‘Ohana Fund and the Stupski Foundation.

It focused on the state’s two counties with mayoral races this year.

“It is evident that voters are calling for elected leaders who will prioritize our youngest keiki and their families,” said Kerrie Urosevich, executive director at Early Childhood Action Strategy and co-chairperson of the Commit to Keiki Steering Committee. “The findings underscore a strong voter sentiment for policies that ensure the well-being of Hawai‘i’s youngest residents and the critical role that early childhood programs play in supporting families, strengthening our communities and driving long-term economic success.”

Key survey findings include:

• A majority of voters (91% to 93%) on both islands said keiki-focused programs such as family violence prevention, early childhood mental health and child care and early learning are important for the next elected leaders to prioritize.
• 80% of Hawai‘i Island voters would support candidates who prioritize services such as publicly funded child care.
• 60% to 71% of voters on Hawai‘i Island and O‘ahu highly prioritized publicly funded services such as child care and family violence prevention.

“Investing in our keiki must be a priority for all of our leaders, including our elected officials,” said Shawn Kanaiʻaupuni, president and chief executive officer at the Partners in Development Foundation and member of the Commit to Keiki Steering Committee. “By prioritizing early childhood programs, we are investing in our keiki and also in strengthening the social and economic fabric of our state. Our goal is to collaborate with elected officials and other partners to enact meaningful policies that create lasting change for Hawai‘i’s families.”

Underscoring a growing desire for county-led investments in early childhood services, poll results from Hawai‘i Island show:

• 77% of Hawai‘i Island voters said they were more likely to vote for candidates who prioritize publicly funded essential services such as child care in the Hawai‘i County budget.
• A significantly larger proportion of Hawai‘i Island voters (60%) than O‘ahu voters (45%) said early childhood mental health programs are very important for elected leaders to prioritize in the next budget.
• Nearly 8 in 10 (77%) of Hawai‘i Island voters said they are more likely to vote for candidates who prioritize affordable housing and child care within their first 100 days in office.

While the survey results highlight the need for increased prioritization of early childhood programs, the majority of voters think it is the government’s responsibility to address the needs of young children and their families.

Community concerns for cost of living, housing, homelessness and public safety have notably increased since 2020 for registered voters on the Big Island and O‘ahu.

Messages about the economic benefits of publicly funded services, reducing financial burdens on families and addressing keiki vulnerability resonated strongly, with a majority of voters more likely to support candidates prioritizing these issues.

The overall objective of the survey was to track voter sentiment of supportive early childhood priorities, including child care and early learning, family violence prevention and early childhood mental health.

Ward Research surveyed 800 registered voters on both islands from August 2-16 online and via telephone. It has a margin of error is plus or minus 3.5%.