American Public Links Education Funding to a Strong and Secure Nation

Between March 8 and March 10, 2002, Ipsos-Reid U.S. Public Affairs interviewed a representative sample of 1,000 adults nationwide by telephone for the Committee for Education Funding. The margin of error is +/- 3.1%

WASHINGTON, DC (March 19, 2002)--In poll results released in a briefing on Capitol Hill today, findings showed that an overwhelming majority of Americans see education as an essential component in our efforts to strengthen our nation's security.

The poll, which was conducted by Ipsos, a global polling and market research organization, on behalf of the Committee for Education Funding (CEF), asked respondents to rate several reasons why there should be increased federal spending on education. A resounding 85% judged our country's need for stronger national security as a "good reason" to increase federal education spending, with 53% of those classifying it as a "very good reason."

Other compelling needs cited by the public for increasing federal education spending included helping students from low-income families secure equal access to opportunities in higher education (88%--"good reason") and improving the recruitment and retention of quality teachers (86%--"good reason").

The findings also showed that even in the face of shifting budget priorities due to the war on terror, increased education spending is still a leading federal priority in the minds of Americans. When asked to rank federal spending priorities, setting aside military and homeland security spending, a convincing 38% of the respondents chose education as their top priority. This was followed by prescription drug benefits for the elderly (25%) and tax cuts (14%).

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About CEF

Founded in 1969, the Committee for Education Funding (CEF), a nonprofit and nonpartisan coalition of over 100 organizations reflecting the broad spectrum of the education community, seeks to achieve adequate federal support for the education of our nation's students. Members include education associations, institutions, agencies and organizations whose interests range from preschool to postgraduate education in both the public and private systems. For more information about CEF, please visit our Website at www.cef.org.

Impact on Federal Spending

Americans recognize that a fundamental shift in national priorities after September 11th will have a direct impact on how the federal government chooses to spend its money this year. 87% of those surveyed say they expect the events of September 11th to have at least some impact on federal spending levels for non-military or security-related programs.

Number One Federal Spending Priority

The recognition that the federal government will have to choose how it spends its money does not diminish their belief that education should be a significant part of this year's budget. When asked what should be the number one federal spending priority aside from federal spending on the military and homeland security, education was the resounding favorite, with 38% of those surveyed saying it should be a top federal spending priority.

Education and National Security

Americans see education as an essential component in our efforts to strengthen our nation. They recognize that our security as a nation depends on our ability to successfully equip our children with the skills and knowledge they will need to function in today's increasingly complex world and that now is the time to significantly increase federal spending for all students from kindergarten through college.

`Five Cents Makes Sense'

After learning that the federal government currently allocates a little less than 2.5 cents of every federal budget dollar to education, the majority of those surveyed (54%) thought raising the amount of federal spending on education to 5 cents makes sense. Nearly a third (30%) said 5 cents still was not enough.

Compelling Reasons for Increased Education Funding

Respondents are strongly supportive of using additional federal dollars to ensure that students from low-income families have equal access to opportunities in higher education and are afforded the same opportunities as the students in well-funded school districts. Respondents also understand the crucial role teachers will play in creating a better-educated America and say one of the best reason to increase federal spending for education is to improve our nation's ability to recruit and retain quality teachers in our classrooms.

To view the latest poll results and research from Ipsos-Reid US Public Affairs please go to: http://www.ipsos-reid.com/us/media/content/pre_rel.cfm

The survey was conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs, the Washington, D.C.-based division of Ipsos-Reid, which is part of the world's fourth largest polling and market research organization, the Ipsos group, based in Paris. Ipsos Public Affairs is a non-partisan, objective public affairs research organization made up of Democratic and Republican campaign and political polling veterans. It was established in Washington in August 2001, and it is led by Thomas Riehle, who has more than 15 years of experience as a political pollster in Washington.

For more information, please contact:

Robert Gilbert Communications Manager Committee for Education Funding (202) 383-0083 [email protected]

Thomas Riehle President Ipsos Public Affairs (202) 463-7300 [email protected]