The US Sun Belt region’s population, which includes the Southern states of the country from east to west, is growing above the national average. This is influenced by immigration – both internal and foreign – and higher numbers of births. The political authorities of these states now compete against one another to present themselves as the state with the best aids for families and businesses and for federal resources.
A recent study by the Ethics and Public Policy Center and the Institute for Family Studies has analyzed what these measures are and what residents of these states understand by family-friendly and business-friendly policies. Knowing first-hand their impressions, and especially those of parents, can serve, first of all, to understand the demographic growth of the region, and so legislators can take into account the real demands of families.
Of the entire Sun Belt region, researchers specifically focused on five states for their greatest population growth: Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee. The five states’ growing populations are doing so at a rate that is double that of the national average, or even triple it, as in the case of Texas. In all of them there is currently a Republican majority on the state level (in three of them this has been the case for a long time; in two others, the phenomenon is more recent). In general, they also stand out for their lower tax burdens on residents and their conservative social policies.
Consensus measures
The study is based on a survey of citizens of these five states. Of the nearly 1,800 people interviewed, approximately half were parents with children under the age of 18. The report is divided into two parts. In the first part of it, the researchers generally asked about the importance that respondents gave to different family policies related to housing, health coverage, education, parenting, and work-life balance. In the second, the same respondents had to choose a specific way of legislating in each of these areas, weighing it against other possible alternatives.
Researchers categorized respondents according to their race, sex, family structure, educational level, and political orientation. This allows them to know which measures each sector leans towards. In fact, one of the conclusions of the study is that the preferences of each group are not the same: that is why legislators must understand the social makeup of their districts when designing family policies.
Many families ask that minors be prevented from accessing online pornography and that the crisis men are facing be studied
However, some proposals have the support of a large majority of respondents, demographics aside. The most popular are public financing of school cafeterias for all families, eliminating VAT on diapers, having the state subsidize paternity/maternity leave or increasing the amount of “health check ups” that low-income families can receive. In addition to these financially related issues, there is also significant consensus on some more cultural measures: forcing tech companies to verify age for users to access pornographic content online or creating commissions to analyze the crisis men, adolescents and boys are facing.
Republicans: cultural values; Democrats: social welfare
In general, respondents who vote Republican tend to give more weight to cultural policies than those who vote Democratic, who focus more on social spending measures. In part, this is due to differences in the values defended by these voters (for example, the definition of marriage, sex ed policies or school choice), but also because those who vote Republican generally prefer tax burdens be as low as possible.
However, even Republican-voting parents agree on some measures that imply greater public spending – and therefore more taxes – such as increasing available “health check-ups,” financing school cafeterias and extracurricular activities, or paternity/maternity leave. Thus, the study seems to show that economic liberalism (“the smaller the State government, the better”) is not an untouchable dogma for families that tend to lean Republican.
The same can be said of the cultural progressivism of Democratic-voting families. Although a greater proportion of them consider that it is not up to the State to propose measures against the decline in the marriage rate (37% of these parents think so, compared to 24% of those who vote for the Republican party), the majority does believe that politicians must act. As for how, almost 30% are in favor of public schools teaching the so-called “success sequence.” This theory, popular especially in conservative thought areas, indicates that to prosper financially you must complete three steps in a certain order: finish high school, find a full-time job and get married before having children. Another 20% would prioritize, however, eliminating what they see as penalties for marriages in some federal aid programs.
Preferences for social groups
The preferences of some particular social groups are also significant. For example, mothers give more importance than fathers to age control when it comes to access to pornography or to subsidizing meals and extracurricular activities offered at school. On the other hand, fathers are more in favor of banning phones in classrooms and teaching the “success sequence” than mothers.
Parents with less education – and, predictably, with fewer resources – also give more importance than the average to instilling “success sequence” in classrooms and creating commissions to research the masculinity crisis. Single parents – almost always mothers – highlight policies that expand school choice. These families generally have lower incomes, so aid can offer them the possibility of sending their children to schools outside their assigned jurisdiction.
When it comes to housing policies however, political tendencies proved to divide survey participants more. Democrats would choose to increase public aid for buying homes. Republicans, on the other hand, are in favor of eliminating environmental regulations or rezoning that would allow for more houses to be built.
Political tendencies and demographics aside, there is a consensus among parents in asking for policies aimed at their practical problems, such as the cost of raising children and facilitating work-life balance
There is much more consensus when it comes to aid for preschool-age children. Very few parents think that “the market” should be allowed to regulate itself. In general, they would prefer that the State increase the number of places available in daycare centers, rather than giving a check directly to families so that they can organize themselves to the best of their abilities.
Finally, the opinions of Republican and Democratic parents about the crisis facing men and boys and how the State should intervene are worth noting. First off, only 20% think that said crisis does not exist, and there was no significant shared political tendency among these respondents. Republicans, apart from recommending the creation of ad hoc commissions in state governments, think that restricting access to pornography may be key to improving the situation. Democrats seem to give more weight to men’s diminished presence in the labor market, and advocate promoting their presence in feminized sectors such as education, health or social work.
In view of the entire report, it can be concluded that parents, regardless of their demographic group and political leanings, demand that governments give priority to their needs, on which there is considerable consensus. For example, cushioning the expense of raising children (from buying diapers to paying for school), or facilitating work-family balance. But, at the same time, there is also agreement on some issues pertaining to values, which do not require as much taxing: restricting access to pornography, limiting the use of cell phones in classrooms or insisting on the positive effects of marriage, among others. Lawmakers should take note.
Translated from Spanish by Lucia K. Maher