SLU/YouGov Poll Analysis: Fall 2024

By Abigail Medler, Ashley Donaldson Burle, and Courtney Vahle

In this report, we dive into the results, focusing specifically on the education questions posed to voters on the Fall 2024 SLU/YouGov poll.

Key Points:

• Missouri voters’ opinion of public schools overall has declined, but respondents generally perceive the schools in their own communities as better quality than those in the State of Missouri.

• Most respondents attribute their perception of public schools to their own schooling experience and look most at teachers, academic reputation, and class sizes when evaluating school quality. 

• Over half of Missouri voters believe their students are being adequately prepared for college and trade school and a plurality (40%) believe schools are preparing students for the workforce.

• Skills for future employment and becoming independent thinkers were the two features respondents thought most important for high school students to learn. 

• More than half of poll respondents (52%) supported their local high school delaying its start time until 8:30 AM or later, with particularly strong support from voters aged 18–44, who are likely to have school-aged children at home (more than 71%).

• Nearly three of four Missouri voters (72%) indicated support for prohibiting high school students from accessing their cell phones during regular school hours, and 73% of voters who are parents of school-aged children indicated they supported cell phone bans while school is in session.

• Just over 40% of likely voters opposed reducing the school week to a four-day school week, while 30% supported it and 27% were unsure.

• Voters opposing the four-day school week noted their greatest concern is a loss of student learning (40%), while voters in favor of the four-day school week claim the greatest benefit would be an increase in student engagement (43%).

• A majority of voters are in favor of the four-day school week policies passed in Senate Bill 727 including members of a school district having to vote to approve the four-day week in their district (77% approval) and the offering of financial incentives for districts that maintain the five-day week (51% approval).