Dear Candidates: The Surgeon General Has Warned Us All, Time is Up.
This week, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy published an op-ed in the New York Times, speaking to the stresses experienced by American parents and announcing an official Advisory on Parents’ Mental Health and Well-Being.
“Parents who feel pushed to the brink deserve more than platitudes,” Murthy wrote. “They need tangible support.”
Based on the data that Count on Mothers has collected over the past two years, we agree. And in an election season this close, we believe that Mothers deserve to know where political candidates stand on key issues affecting families with children.
Murthy calls attention to a particularly alarming statistic from a 2023 study by the American Psychological Association: 48% of parents say that most days their stress is completely overwhelming, as opposed to 26% of adults without children who say the same. This underlines data collected by Pew last year indicating that 47% of adults under 50 have no intention of ever having children, an increase from 37% in 2018.
Strikingly, the main reason those childfree adults cite for not wanting kids is simple — 57% say they just don’t want to. “We’d rather spend our time, energy and resources in other ways [and] prefer not to be on the clock watching children 24/7,” explained a 33-year-old woman interviewed by CNBC. “Having children adds layers of complications.”
The modern world that American mothers find themselves navigating is full of complications and stressors, and very little movement seems to happen on various proposed policies trying to relieve those stresses. That’s why Count on Mothers wants to hear from political candidates on what legislation they plan to support.
Among the data we’ve collected that would address the concern raised by the Surgeon General:
• 76% of Mothers surveyed believe that the Childcare for Working Families Act, capping childcare costs at 7% of household income and increasing access to high-quality preschool programs, would have a positive effect on their families.
• Over 80% of Mothers believe that the U.S. should have a national paid leave program that guarantees coverage to all working people to care for a new child, a loved one, or themselves without putting the full costs on businesses.
• 98% of Mothers believe the federal government should require social media companies to provide minors with ways to protect their information, remove addictive product components, and opt out of product components that cause addiction.
• Over 88% of Mothers agree that there should be an update of federal laws governing the marketing of age-restricted products, such as e-cigarettes, that address current youth appeal marketing practices.
• 93% of Mothers surveyed believe the GOSAFE Act, regulating the manufacture of gas-operated semi-automatic weapons and creating a voluntary buy-back program, would have a positive effect on their families.
One of our most recent studies directly addresses an issue that dictated the childfree choice of 36% of the Pew study respondents — that they couldn’t afford to raise a child. We polled 1048 Mothers from 48 states, across the political spectrum, and found that 7 out of 10 say that childcare costs have a direct and negative impact on their ability to save for emergencies, college, or retirement. Over half of our respondents are dealing with financial insecurity as a direct result of lack of access to childcare.
“Things have become too expensive,” one conservative Mother told us bluntly. “People can no longer survive.”
In our most recent study, “Issues That Matter Most to Mothers,” the responses reflected mothers’ stress and feelings of inadequacy. The answers all related to financial instability, the inability to spend enough time with their children, or the lack of societal support.
A very liberal mom from California said her biggest struggle was “balancing it all. Not having enough hours in the day--working but barely making it.” A very conservative mom from Florida echoed that sentiment, stating that she was “needing to constantly work to afford anything.” A moderate mother from West Virginia said her greatest worry was “feeling like I never do enough,” while a very conservative mom from Virginia succinctly said her greatest concern was “judgment.”
We survey mothers across the political spectrum and all U.S. regions to compile data from a representative sample that reflects the nation’s demographic distribution. We do this so that we may gain an accurate understanding of what mothers need in policymaking, regardless of political ideology, and in an effort to prevent partisan politics from getting in the way of ensuring the safety, health, and well-being of American families.
Surgeon General Murthy has expressed his concern that living in survival mode is a crisis for parental mental health in this country. In his advisory, he suggests that policy makers should:
• Promote and expand funding for programs that support parents and caregivers and their families.
• Establish a national paid family and medical leave program and ensure all workers have paid sick time.
• Invest in social infrastructure at the local level to bring parents and caregivers together.
• Address the economic and social barriers that contribute to the disproportionate impact of mental health conditions for certain parents and caregivers.
• Ensure parents and caregivers have access to comprehensive and affordable high-quality mental health care.
• Promote visitation initiatives and reentry programming to support currently and formerly incarcerated parents and caregivers, as well as their families.
Count on Mothers hopes that political candidates will consider the Surgeon General’s advisory and utilize data collected by our organization as well as the other studies mentioned above to make concrete proposals part of their platforms. Go on the record with how you can reduce the crushing stress experienced by parents of all political persuasions across the country. In this case, mothers are counting on you.
Thank you to all the moms who weigh in every month. Our August poll about the proposed bipartisan childcare tax credits package is still live. We’re interested to hear from moms about whether you think tax credits are effective.
Let us know in the comments what you think of the Surgeon General’s Advisory. We encourage you to forward this article to your local, state, and national candidates for election… to let them know we want to hear where they stand on policies that affect American parents and kids.
Big Things to Know This Month: Moms First is running a campaign called, “Get Childcare on the Record” with action items. Chamber of Mothers is launching a campaign next week called, “Vote Like a Mother” with voter education for all mothers.
Happy Labor Day Weekend, we know it won’t be easy. But let’s enjoy it! #wereinittogether
