Issues that Matter Most to Mothers
July 31, 2024
Rapid Poll

From January through July 2024, Count on Mothers identified the issues mothers most want federal policymakers to address related to their children's health and safety. The two-stage study began with an open-ended question to mothers over six months, then tested the emerging themes through a structured follow-up survey of mothers across regions and the political spectrum. Five issues consistently rose to the top — substance use, abortion and reproductive health, healthcare access and cost, food access and nutrition, and childcare affordability — with striking consistency across geography, education, and ideology in both what mothers prioritize and the underlying stresses shaping family life.

Related themes:

Shared Priorities and Cross-Partisan Alignment Among Mothers

  • Five issues consistently rise to the top — substance use or abuse, abortion and reproductive health, healthcare access and cost, food access and nutrition, and childcare affordability and quality — as the most pressing issues affecting families nationwide.
  • At least 8 in 10 mothers report concern about substance use or abuse in their family or community — the most widely shared issue in the sample.
  • Healthcare, food, and childcare cause widespread stress. Roughly 7 in 10 mothers say healthcare issues have caused stress or harm in their family; 77% cite food access, cost, or nutrition as a major concern; and at least 6 in 10 report stress related to childcare access, cost, or quality.
  • Financial stress is the most common underlying barrier across families. Across open-ended responses, financial stress emerged as the single most frequently cited barrier — regardless of family size — followed by work-life balance and flexible employment challenges.
  • Shared emotional strain across ideologies. Mothers across political backgrounds expressed a common feeling of falling short — financially, emotionally, or socially — highlighting shared pressure despite differing circumstances or beliefs.

Source: Count on Mothers, Issues that Matter Most to Mothers, July 2024. Two-stage study: open-ended responses collected from the Count on Mothers community panel (January–June 2024), followed by a nationally representative survey of U.S. mothers, n=593, weighted across political ideology and region (July 2024). Research led by a PhD-credentialed researcher and an MPH data scientist.

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Methodology

Count on Mothers conducts nationally representative research with U.S. mothers, weighted to reflect the population and reported in aggregate. Research is led by a PhD + MPH team. Findings have informed policy, industry, and media, and entered the Congressional Record on childcare, paid leave, and technology policy.
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