Mothers see it first. The National Benchmark of U.S. Mothers measures it.
The National Benchmark of U.S. Mothers is a recurring, nationally representative measurement of what mothers are experiencing across five areas of family life.
Wave 1 status: Now in field. Mothers can participate here.
Mothers are the first to notice when a school stops responding to bullying reports. When a pediatrician's office stops answering the phone. When a benefits program adds a new administrative hurdle. When a new platform feature changes how their child behaves.
By the time these shifts register in clinical data, administrative filings, or issue-specific polling, families have already been adjusting — often for months or years.
The National Benchmark of U.S. Mothers is built to measure these shifts as they happen. Not what mothers think about the news today. What mothers are navigating today — across stress, trust, finances, and the environments shaping their children.
What We Measure
Five areas, tracked consistently, wave over wave.
Each area is built as a stable index — the items stay consistent across waves so findings can be tracked over time, not just captured in a single snapshot. Time-sensitive topics are addressed through rotating supplemental modules that do not alter the core indices.
Maternal Capacity & Stress (MCSI)
The overall barometer of household functioning and linked to child outcomes. Measures stress levels, the capacity to meet family needs, and the support mothers have to do so.
Family Economic Pressure (FEPI)
Financial strain as it is experienced, not just as reported by administrative data. Includes childcare costs, healthcare affordability, food security, and the household economic conditions mothers navigate daily.
Institutional Trust & Accountability (ITAI)
Trust in the institutions and industries shaping family life — including schools, healthcare, food and beverage companies, technology platforms, and government. Whether the systems mothers encounter are set up to serve families.
Youth Environment & Commercial Conditions (YECCI)
Structural conditions shaping children — digital and AI exposure, commercial design, neighborhood safety, and generational norms across the environments mothers navigate.
Child Wellbeing Access & Support (CWASI)
Access to children's mental, emotional, and behavioral health support — including the school and insurance gateways mothers depend on, peer relationships, and the friction families face when seeking help.
How the Benchmark Works
The Benchmark fields twice a year — Spring and Fall — with a fixed core instrument that remains stable across waves. Supplemental rotating modules address time-sensitive topics without altering the core indices.
Sampling blends two sources: mothers from The Count — Count on Mothers' community of subscribers across all 50 states — and mothers reached through a nationally representative paid panel. Responses are weighted to U.S. Census benchmarks.
All findings are governed by independent Count on Mothers research leadership, with academic review from a Methodology Advisory Board at University College London including Dr. Kaitlyn Regehr, Dr. Photini Vrikki, and Dr. Katharine Smales. Institutional subscribers support the work; they do not shape the findings.
Join the Count. Every mother who joins our community is invited to participate in Benchmark waves. Your voice belongs in the data shaping decisions about your family.
Partner with us. Foundations, health systems, employer coalitions, technology platforms, and policy organizations engage through institutional subscription.
Founding Member enrollment is open through Wave 2, closing November 2026. Founding Members join the inaugural cohort that establishes the Benchmark as recurring national infrastructure.
Count on Mothers has published more than 20 national research reports since 2022 — drawing on over 20,000 survey responses from mothers across all 50 states. Our findings have been entered into the Congressional Record on childcare, paid leave, technology policy, and youth wellbeing, and covered in national press.
The National Benchmark of U.S. Mothers formalizes three years of research into a recurring measurement framework — establishing durable national indicators that institutions can track over time.
