Poll Reports

1 in 5 parents report their child had a virtual healthcare visit during the pandemic. Lower-income parents have more concerns about technical problems related to virtual care. Parents are more comfortable with virtual visits for mental health or minor illness than for check-ups.

3 in 4 parents say their child’s sport is about right in their approach to COVID-19 precautions. Most parents give high ratings to their child’s school or sports league for clear communication, treating children fairly and listening to parent concerns about COVID-19. 1 in 4 parents rate their child’s sports league as fair/poor for consistent enforcement of COVID-19 precautions.

3 in 4 parents say COVID-19 has had a negative impact on their teens being able to interact with friends. 1 in 3 teen girls and 1 in 5 teen boys have experienced new or worsening anxiety since March 2020. Half of parents have relaxed family rules to allow their teen more contact with friends.

1 in 3 parents say COVID-19 has made it hard to get dental care for their child. Children with Medicaid dental coverage have had more problems getting a preventive dental appointment. 1 in 4 parents say their child’s oral health habits have improved during the pandemic.

1 in 3 parents definitely support having a mental health program like peer support leaders at their teen's school. 2 in 3 parents would allow their teen to be trained as a peer support leader. Parent concerns about peer support leaders include confidentiality, training, and identifying crisis situations.

Overuse of social media/screen time and bullying/cyberbullying are the top 2 concerns among parents overall. Black parents rate racism as the top health concern for kids in the US. Almost half of parents rate COVID-19 as a “big problem.”

1 in 2 parents say COVID-19 has substantially decreased the time children spend with extended family members. Over half of parents say it is very important that their child sees extended family and shares in family holiday traditions. 1 in 3 parents feel the benefits of gathering with family for Thanksgiving are worth the risk of spreading or getting COVID-19.

1 in 12 parents report their teen has attended a demonstration and/or other event about racism or policing reform. 1 in 2 Black parents say thinking about police brutality and racism causes stress for their teen, as do 1 in 4 White parents. White parents are nearly twice as likely than Black parents to believe teens do not belong at demonstrations against police brutality and racism.

Only 1 in 3 parents believe it is more important for their child to get flu vaccine this year compared to previous years, despite public health recommendations. Among parents who will not seek flu vaccine for their child this year, 1 in 7 say they are keeping their child away from health care sites due to concerns about COVID. Less than half of parents say their child's regular health care provider strongly recommends flu vaccination this year.

4 in 10 parents describe disagreements with grandparents about discipline, meals, screen time and other parenting choices. Among parents who asked a grandparent to be more consistent with parenting choices, 17% say the grandparent refused their request. Parents are more likely to limit the amount of time children see grandparents who refuse to respect parenting choices.