Polls Find that Kids & Teens Believe Election Will Be Life Changing

Nemours’ KidsHealth® Discovers That Even America’s Youngest Are Tuned In.

Wilmington, DE (Issues Wire / Vocus) October 21, 2008 -– As adults across the United States watch the race for president, many parents might be surprised to know that their children are paying close attention, too. KidsHealth.org, the web’s most-visited site for children’s health and development information, polled kids and teens to find out what they thought about the presidential race.

KidsHealth from Nemours

Dream big dreams and think outside the box.

The KidsHealth® KidsPoll received responses from 1,337 kids and the TeensHealthSM TeensPoll received responses from 1,286 teens. Questions and responses for the two age groups varied, but one thing was clear among both — this election has become part of their world and they are definitely tuned in. The overwhelming majority — 75% of kids and 79% of teens — believe that the outcome of this election will change their lives in some way.

“It’s clear that the choice adults make for the next president is something that kids and teens feel will make a difference in their lives, too,” said D’Arcy Lyness, PhD, a child and adolescent psychologist and medical editor for Nemours’ KidsHealth.org. Lyness encourages parents to talk with their kids about the election and to encourage them to develop and express their opinions. “Ask children for their views on the candidates and issues. This reinforces that their opinions matter, too, and teaches them to express their own ideas and feelings.”

The TeensHealth TeensPoll asked teens age 13 to 19 what matters when choosing a president. A “candidate’s stand on issues” ranked highest with 84% of teens reporting this matters a lot while a candidate’s gender and race ranked lowest (only 8% of teens said race and gender matter a lot). When asked about a candidate’s age, nearly 50% of teens said age matters somewhat while 40% say age doesn’t matter at all. Opinions about the importance of a candidate’s religious beliefs were evenly mixed: 29% said matters a lot, 37% said matters somewhat, and 34% said religious beliefs didn’t matter.

When asked for their opinions about specific campaign issues, teens felt that every issue asked in the poll was very important:
            Very important   Somewhat important   Not important
The environment       
                     77%           18%                5%
Jobs               
                     76%           21%                2%
Gas prices       
                     84%           14%                2%
Food prices       
                     57%           38%                5%
Iraq war       
                     82%           14%                4%
Terrorism       
                     80%           15%                5%
Schools and education
                     82%           14%                4%
Medical care and health   
                     82%           15%                3%

The KidsHealth KidsPoll asked kids ages 6 to 12 who they thought would make a better president – mom or dad. The poll responses were almost even with 51% choosing mom and 49% choosing dad. Georgie (11, from MO) chose his mom because “She is great in times of trouble,” while McKenzie (11, from CA) picked her dad because “He always stands up for what he believes in.” DJ (12, from TX) had other reasons for his choice, saying his dad would make a better president because “He is just like MacGyver.”

The KidsPoll also asked kids what advice they would give the next president. Hannah, age 11, from NC, would advise the next president to “Do something about the environment and the economy and the gas prices and do it fast!” Izzy (9, from MD) advised, “Do what you promised to do but amaze the country with it,” and Mattie (11, from DE) said, “Dream big dreams and think outside the box.”

“This election provides parents with a great opportunity to teach kids on a lot of levels,” explains Dr. Lyness. To help parents make the most of it, Nemours’ KidsHealth.org offers these tips for talking with kids and teens:

• Be reassuring. Kids and teens may be worried by what the candidates and others are saying about the economy or the job market. They might fear the family losing the house or a parent losing a job. Listen to their concerns and provide reassurance and perspective. If you’re facing financial troubles, be honest and tell your kids (in an age-appropriate way) what you’re doing to handle the problem.
• Keep it positive. In the heat of an election season, strong feelings about tough issues can spark disagreements. Use this opportunity to show kids and teens how to voice differences of opinion with respect, strength, and conviction.
• Suggest they get involved. Many kids and teens are quite interested in — and concerned about — the issues facing the country right now. Taking action helps them feel empowered and effective, and builds problem-solving skills. Help them think of what they can do, and talk about how small things can add up to make a big difference. Perhaps to save money, they’ll want to make lunches instead of buying them at school. Let them know that just like voting for a candidate can make a difference, so can working toward an issue that they’d like to change.

• For kids: Kids Talk About: The Presidential Election
• For teens: Your Thoughts on Election 2008
• For parents: Talking Politics: What to Say to Your Kids

About KidsHealth®KidsPoll and TeensHealthSMTeensPoll
KidsPoll and TeensPoll are projects of the Nemours Foundation's Center for Children's Health Media, creators of the award-winning websites KidsHealth.org and TeensHealth.org. The purpose is to gather the opinions, attitudes, and feelings of kids and teens about issues that affect them and to provide a national platform to share these views. The information is shared with families, educators, health care organizations, the media, and other interested parties at the national and local levels. All information is self-reported and is gathered from kids and teens age 6 to 19 via anonymous, online surveys.

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election 2008; us presidential election

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