All responses except the first one are drawn from an annual survey of 800 registered voters conducted by Lake Snell Perry & Associates for Education Week and the Public Education Network. The first question is from a CBS News poll.
| 4% | consider education the top issue in this year’s presidential election, behind the war in Iraq (26 percent), the economy (25 percent), and health care (8 percent). |
| 59% | believe that public schools in their community do not receive enough funding. |
| 14% | are “very willing” to increase taxes to fund public education. An additional 45 percent are “somewhat willing” to do so. |
| 28% | oppose NCLB, up more than threefold from the 8 percent who opposed the law in 2003. More than one-third—36 percent—favor legislation, and 34 percent have not made up their minds. |
| 59% | would be more likely to vote for a presidential candidate who says that public education would be the centerpiece of his or her administration. But fewer than half—48 percent—believe such statements are “sincere.” |