The National Benchmark of U.S. Mothers

Mothers see it first.
The National Benchmark
of U.S. Mothers measures it.

Name: The National Benchmark of U.S. Mothers
Creator: Count on Mothers

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 results are coming soon. Released July 2026.

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Wave 1 · Released July 2026

What the National Benchmark found

Five national indicators, measured across 2,500+ responses from mothers in all 50 states and weighted to U.S. Census benchmarks. The headline figures below are public — the full cross-tabulated depth is available to institutional subscribers.

2,500+

responses in Wave 1

Across all 50 states, weighted to U.S. Census benchmarks.

XX%

Headline Maternal Capacity & Stress finding

One-line public-tier finding for the MCSI index.

XX%

Headline Family Economic Pressure finding

One-line public-tier finding for the FEPI index.

XX pts

Headline Institutional Trust finding

One-line public-tier finding for the ITAI index.

Read the full Wave 1 findings →

Why a Benchmark?

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)

Perceived stress, time scarcity, and coping capacity. Captures whether mothers have the bandwidth — cognitive, emotional, physical — to meet the demands of daily life. MCSI is the Benchmark's barometer: it is the operating condition through which all other index scores are interpreted.

Family Economic Pressure (FEPI)

Household financial strain, childcare and work constraint, and healthcare affordability. Treats economic pressure as a persistent condition rather than an income threshold — capturing the squeeze families feel regardless of nominal income level.

Institutional Trust & Accountability (ITAI)

Institutional distrust and accountability gaps as experienced by mothers across schools, healthcare systems, technology platforms, and government. Higher scores reflect lower confidence that institutions act in families' interests and greater perceived accountability gaps.

Youth Environment & Commercial Conditions (YECCI)

Structural conditions shaping children, from digital and AI exposure to commercial marketing and neighborhood safety, and mothers' assessment of risk exposure for their children online and in consumer spaces.

Child Wellbeing Access & Support (CWASI)

Barriers to child mental health access, school support deficits, and the navigation friction families encounter when seeking services. Higher scores reflect greater difficulty accessing care — including insurance barriers, provider shortages, and out-of-pocket costs.

How the Benchmark Works

The Benchmark fields twice a year, in 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 into a single weighted dataset. A probability-based national panel provides the representative core. The Count, Count on Mothers' community of subscribers across all 50 states, contributes additional responses to the same survey. Every valid response from both sources is combined and weighted to U.S. Census benchmarks, so the findings reflect mothers from across the community and the national panel alike.

All findings are governed by Count on Mothers' independent research team, led by Jennifer Brailsford, PhD (Director of Research) and Melissa Lawrence, MPH, MS (Director of Data Science), with academic review from a Methodology Advisory Board at University College London including Kaitlyn Regehr PhD, Photini Vrikki, PhD and Katharine Smales PhD. Institutional members support the work; they do not shape the findings.

Read the full methodology

Two Ways to Engage

For Mothers

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.

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For Institutions

Partner with us. Foundations, health systems, employer coalitions, technology platforms, and policy organizations engage through institutional subscription.

Founding Members join the inaugural cohort that establishes the Benchmark as recurring national infrastructure. Enrollment is open during the establishment phase.

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Academic Oversight and Methodological Rigor

Methodology Advisory Board

The Benchmark's Methodology Advisory Board provides academic review and domain expertise on instrument design and the framing of findings within their respective fields. Sampling strategy, weighting, analytic approach, and methodological consistency across waves are governed by Count on Mothers' internal research leadership: Jennifer Brailsford PhD and Melissa Lawrence MPH MS. Visit our team page.

Kaitlyn Regehr, PhD

Associate Professor of Digital HumanitiesUniversity College London

Cultural and developmental impacts of social media and digital technology on young people; her work has informed UK legislation on online safety and youth digital literacy. Reviews instrument items related to youth digital environments and safeguarding.

Photini Vrikki, PhD

Lecturer in Digital Methods in the HumanitiesUniversity College London

Digital methods, data and society, and the intersection of technology with equity and public participation. Reviews instrument items related to youth digital environments and platform accountability.

Katharine Smales, PhD

Research Fellow, Department of Information StudiesUniversity College London

Children's digital practices in family settings, including how children aged 4–8 and their families engage with technology together. Reviews instrument items related to family digital environments and child engagement.

Built on Three Years of Research

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.

20+

national research reports published

20,000+

survey responses from mothers

50

states represented

5

core index areas tracked

Browse past research

Mothers see it first. The National Benchmark of U.S. Mothers measures it.