Despite hyperventilating claims from activists and union bosses that forcing kids to wear masks in schools is a matter of life or death, a new poll finds parents are four times more likely to say masks harm kids than protect them.
A new POLITICO-Harvard poll on school mask mandates finds 41 percent of parents with children in schools say wearing a mask during the school say “hurt” their “general schooling experience.”
Only 11 percent of parents felt masks “helped” kids. Forty-seven percent felt it made no difference.
A third of parents, 34 percent, said masks hurt kids’ ability to learn, with only 11 percent saying it helped.
When it came to “mental and emotional health” 39 percent of parents said mask mandates hurt kids, with just 10 percent saying it helped.
The numbers were even more stark when asked about “social learning and interactions,” with 46 percent of parents saying forced masking hurt kids and just nine percent saying it helped.
The poll reveals what could be a massive backlash brewing among suburban parents against liberals and candidates backed by government school unions.
“Even if I’m in a Democratic state or district, I’d pay attention because there are a substantial number of independent parents who think the policy is hurting their children,” Robert Blendon, a professor of health policy and political analysis, emeritus, at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, tells POLITICO. “If you say something hurts my children, you’re going to feel strongly about it. … Anything that has an impact on your family has a disproportionate impact on how you think of things.”
In last year’s race for Virginia governor Democrat nominee and former governor Terry McAuliffe was a strong favorite over Republican businessman Glenn Youngkin, until voter frustration with school closings, radical curriculum and mask mandates split many suburban voters from their usual Democrat support.
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Michael Brigham
Michael Brigham has written for American Action News since the summer of 2019. His areas of expertise include foreign affairs, government, and politics, but regardless of the subject matter, he has a nose and an insatiable appetite for news. In his free time, he enjoys reading nonfiction, watching a mix of comedies and true crime documentaries, and spending time away from the swamp hiking in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
