Barbara Bush Foundation for family literacy quantitative detailed report

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BARBARA BUSH FOUNDATION FOR FAMILY LITERACY

QUANTITATIVE DETAILED REPORT

METHODOLOGYPSB conducted online interviews among General Population and National Elites

U.S. General Population: Ages 18-64, including statistically significant samples of African Americans and Hispanic/Latino populations.

AUDIENCE SAMPLE SIZE MARGIN OF ERROR

All 1,149 +/- 2.89%General Population 1,075 +/- 2.99%National Elites 74 +/- 11.39%Male 409 +/- 4.85%Female 666 +/- 3.80%African American 100 +/- 9.8%Hispanic/Latino 119 +/- 8.98%Northeast 179 +/- 7.32%Midwest 250 +/- 6.20%South 341 +/- 5.31%West 305 +/- 5.61%

2

AMERICANS ARE SYMPATHETIC ON LITERACY, BUT THEY NEED MOTIVATION

3

EDUCATION IS A MIDDLE-TIER ISSUE FOR AMERICANS: ON THE RADAR BUT NOT TOP-OF-MIND

4

Economy/jobs

Healthcare

National budget/deficit

Education

TaxesWars/Conflicts in

Afghanistan/Iraq/LibyaImmigrationHomeland

security/Public safety

Energy

The Environment

Foreign policy

Other domestic issues

Transportation

7451

4023

2117

1410109

64

2

TOP ISSUES FACING THE U.S. In your opinion, what are the 2-3 most important

issues facing the U.S. today?

Economy/jobs

Healthcare

EducationLocal/state

budget/deficitTaxes

Public safety

Immigration

The Environment

Energy

Transportation

Other domestic issues

71

38

33

30

30

15

14

9

9

7

3

TOP ISSUES FACING THE COMMUNITYIn your opinion, what are the 2-3 most important issues

facing your community today?

Showing All Showing All

BUT AMERICANS DO SEE A NEED FOR ACTION ON EDUCATION

5

Showing DC Elites

TRACK OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICTThinking generally the school district where you live, do you believe that the school district as a whole is on the right track or off in the wrong

direction?

17

39

44

TRACK OF THE EDUCATION SYSTEMThinking generally about the U.S. education system

today, do you believe the education sector as a whole is on the right track or off in the wrong

direction?

14

25

61Right Track

Wrong Direction

Don’t know

Right Track

Wrong Direction

Don’t know

This tells us that they are willing to act but need motivation – Hispanics/Latino are slightly more concerned than African Americans

• 37% of African Americans say the education system is on the right track, compared to 28% of Hispanics/Latino

• 50% of African Americans believe their school district is on the right track, compared to 38% of Hispanics/Latino

Showing All Showing All

LITERACY IS SEEN AS A MIDDLE-TIER EDUCATION ISSUE

6

Funding

Quality of teachers

Basic literacy

Class size

Science, math and technology curriculum

Safety and security of schools

Parental involvement in schools

Early education opportunities (e.g. Pre-K)

Extra-curricular opportunities

36

31

22

21

20

17

13

6

6

TOP ISSUES IN EDUCATION SYSTEMWhat do you see as the main issues in the education system that need to be

addressed? You can chose up to 2 issues.

Americans understand it is still a problem, but our call needs to be clear on why they should act

Showing All

AMERICANS UNDERSTAND LITERACY

7

Don't knowHaving a high school diploma or equivalent

The ability to speak and understand a language

The ability to read long sections of text, as in a

book or newspaper

The ability to read and write basic words and sentences

241317

64

DEFINING LITERACTY Which of the following best describes the term literacy? (Showing All)

They are familiar with the meaning of literacy

Which of the following best describes the term literacy? GP Elites

Gender Race Region

Male Female AA Hispanic NE MW South West

The ability to read and write basic words and sentences

65 54 61 67 71 61 60 68 66 65

The ability to read long sections of text, as in a book or newspaper

16 26 18 15 7 21 17 13 19 15

The ability to speak and understand a language 13 16 14 12 16 12 17 12 11 13

Having a high school diploma or equivalent 4 4 4 3 4 5 5 4 3 4

Don't know 2 0 2 2 2 0 1 3 2 3

AMERICANS BELIEVE BASIC EDUCATION IS A RIGHT THAT THE COMMUNITY CAN HELP PROVIDE

8

9

90 3 7

Agree DisagreeDon’t know

EDUCATION A CIVIL RIGHTHow much do you agree or disagree with the following statement: Education is a civil right that all

Americans should be entitled to. (Showing All)

How much do you agree or disagree with the following statement: Education is a civil right that all Americans should be entitled to.

GP Elites

Gender Race Region


Strongly agree 67 59 63 70 85 76 64 68 73 61

Somewhat agree 23 28 25 22 13 17 28 23 18 26

Somewhat disagree 4 5 6 2 0 3 6 3 4 4

Strongly disagree 2 5 2 2 1 2 0 1 2 5

NEARLY ALL VIEW EDUCATION AS A CIVIL RIGHT

This resonates very strongly with African Americans and Hispanics

10

SECOND CHANCE AT EDUCATION: How much do you agree or disagree with the following statement: All adults who want a second chance at pursuing a high school diploma or GED should be entitled to getting the education they need.

All GP Elites

Gender Race Region


Strongly agree 60 60 58 53 65 82 66 57 59 65 56

Somewhat agree 29 29 30 34 25 14 27 33 30 26 27

TOTAL AGREE 89 89 88 87 90 96 93 90 89 91 83

Somewhat disagree 6 6 7 6 5 1 3 6 6 3 8

Strongly disagree 2 2 4 3 1 2 1 1 1 2 2

TOTAL DISAGREE 8 8 11 9 6 3 4 7 7 5 10

Don't know 3 4 1 4 4 1 3 2 3 3 6

NEARLY ALL AGREE THAT ADULTS ARE ENTITLED TO A SECOND CHANCE AT A BASIC EDUCATION

82% of African Americans strongly agree

AMERICANS BELIEVE LITERACY STARTS AT HOME, BUT THERE IS COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY AS WELL

11

40 7 53

School ParentsDon’t know

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CHILD’S LITERACY?In your opinion, should a child’s school or parents be more responsible for his or her ability to read and

write? (Showing All)

In your opinion, should a child’s school or parents be more responsible for his or her ability to read and write?

GP Elites

Gender Race Region


School 40 53 35 42 29 36 43 44 38 36

Parents 54 43 57 52 63 58 48 52 55 58

5 6 8

88 85 74

6 9 19

AN OVERWHELMING MAJORITY SUPPORT PROVIDING FREE EARLY CHILDHOOD, ADULT EDUCATION AND ESL CLASSES

12

SUPPORT/OPPOSE FREE PROGRAMSHow much do you support or oppose the following programs being provided free of charge as

part of the public education system?

Support OpposeDon’t know

Early Childhood Education

Adult Education ESL Classes

• Hispanics/Latino in particular support ESL classes – 86% support

Showing All

MESSAGING SHOULD START WITH GIVING OUR CHILDREN THE CHANCE TO SUCCEED

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MESSAGE SCORING METHODOLOGY

To easily compare the messages, PSB creates a Summary Index Score for each message comprised of the following components:

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COLOR CODING LEGENDTop Scoring MessageTop Third MessagesBottom Third Messages

The most compelling phrases have been bolded in dark blue font if in the top 10%;

and in blue font if in the top 3rd.

Message tables are color coded in order to allow easy identification of the highest and lowest scoring messages:

NetBelievability

Total % believable – total % not believable

+SCORE =2x Much More

FavorableTotal % Much more

favorable towards the Barbara Bush Foundation

X2

2x Much More Likely

Total % Much more likely to donate to the Barbara

Bush Foundation X2+

RANK MESSAGE TITLE ALL GP Elites AA Hispanic

1 CHILDREN 201 197 217 245 242

2 CIVIL RIGHT 198 194 237 251 235

3 HOME 190 188 227 232 226

4 COMMUNITY 186 181 236 218 211

5 ECONOMY 185 184 230 235 233

6 FAMILIES 181 181 193 232 216

*Score= Net Believability + 2* much more favorable + 2* much more likely

NURTURING OUR CHILDREN WITH THE EDUCATION THEY DESERVE IS THE MESSAGE THAT RESONATES MOST

15

PSB tested 6 messages that relate to education and literacy issues

TOP-TIER MESSAGES

MIDDLE-TIER MESSAGES

BOTTOM-TIER MESSAGES

WINNING MESSAGE

We compared the six messages we tested for the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy with other messages in PSB’s Message Cloud database. This revealed that all six messages are very compelling – even the bottom-scoring message:

MESSAGING OVERVIEW

93rd

PERCENTILE81st

PERCENTILE

TMTM

TOP MESSAGE: CHILDREN

BOTTOM MESSAGE: FAMILIES

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MESSAGES SHOULD BE BACKED UP WITH INFORMATION ON PROGRAMS AND THE LOCAL IMPACT OF LITERACY

69 68 67 67 65 62

11 13 12 13 15 16

Less LikelyMore Likely

EFFECT OF INFORMATION ON LIKELIHOOD OF DONATIONIf a non-profit organization that promotes literacy were to tell you about each of the following, how much more

or less likely would you be to donate?

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The effect literacy has on

your own community

Providing information about how donations and programs impact the community help to motivate action

The extent of the literacy

problem

Information on the programs

that donations help to support

The effect literacy has on the

economy, public safety and health

Statistics about the impact that donations have

Stories about people that donations

have helped

Showing All

RECOMMENDATIONS

18

19

Raise awareness of the cause. Support for literacy programs is strong, but Americans just are not thinking about it right now. It needs to be brought to mind.

KEY RECOMMENDATIONS MOVING FORWARD

Messaging should start with giving our children a chance to succeed with the fundamental civil right of literacy.

Messaging can also emphasize the need to give adults a second chance, which they deserve and which will support the economy.

1

2

3

20

AN EFFECTIVE MESSAGING CAMPAIGN, STARTS WITH A NARROW FOCUS, THEN MOVES BROADER

It begins focused on the child and widens to the economy and nation:

Start with a focus on the child

Move on to encouraging parental involvement

Then show the impact of literacy on the workforce and economy

MESSAGE ARCHITECTURE

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CHILDREN AND CIVIL RIGHT

• Children are a precious resource that should be nurtured

• They deserve basic education and skills

• It is a fundamental civil right, providing equal chance to succeed

Literacy is essential to having a chance at success. Giving our precious children this basic education should be a fundamental civil right. And adults who lack basic skills

deserve a second chance – it’s not just good for their families, it’s good for the economy.

PROOF POINTS

THEME

UMBRELLA MESSAGE

• Local community impact• Information on programs supported by the Foundation• Facts and figures about the impact of literacy on economic and societal issues

SUPPORTING EVIDENCE

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

ADULTS AND ECONOMY

• Good education starts at home

• We should help parents and grandparents take an active role in their child’s education

• Puts them on the path to success

• Adults should be given a second chance at a basic education

• This helps their families and it affects us all

• A healthy economy relies on educated workers, and we need a 21st Century workforce

22

RESOURCES FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Thinking generally about the resources available for education, do you think that public school systems have what they need?

All GP Elites

Gender Race Region


Have the resources they need 38 37 51 43 34 32 36 44 35 37 35

Don’t have the resources they need 57 58 47 53 61 65 60 51 59 59 60

Don't know 5 5 1 4 5 2 4 5 6 4 5

RESOURCES FOR NON-PROFITS: Thinking generally about the resources available for education, do you think that the non-profit literacy organizations have what they need?

All GP Elites

Gender Race Region


Have the resources they need 23 22 41 25 21 28 26 25 21 22 24

Don’t have the resources they need 57 58 46 57 58 56 56 56 64 58 53

Don't know 19 20 14 17 21 16 18 19 16 20 23

OVER HALF DON’T THINK PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND NON-PROFIT LITERACY ORGANIZATIONS HAVE WHAT THEY NEED

APPENDIX IIIRIGHT TO EDUCATION

23

24

[IF YES] You indicated that you agree that all adults who want a second chance at pursuing a high school diploma or GED should be entitled to getting the education they need. In your opinion, how should the second chance be made available to them?

All GP Elites

Gender Race Region


Free public education 49 49 46 48 49 58 52 53 49 49 46

Free education provided by private non-profit organizations 24 24 25 23 25 22 28 23 21 28 23

Education offered by private organizations for a fee 17 16 22 21 14 11 13 12 23 12 20

Don't know 10 10 8 8 12 8 6 11 8 11 11

MAJORITY THINK ADULTS SHOULD BE ENTITLED TO FREE PUBLIC EDUCATION

MAJORITY THINK ADULTS SHOULD BE ENTITLED TO FREE PUBLIC EDUCATION

25

89% think that adults who want a second chance at pursuing high diploma should be entitled to it, with the majority in favor of free public education• 82% of African Americans strongly agree

1017

24

49

GRANTING ADULTS A SECOND CHANCEIF YES] You indicated that you agree that all adults who want a second chance at pursuing a high

school diploma or GED should be entitled to getting the education they need. In your opinion, how should the second chance be made available to them? (Showing All)

26

Which of the following statements is closer to your view? All GP Elites

Gender Race Region


In the United States, all children and adults should have access to free education, regardless of background or country of citizenship.

48 48 47 45 50 67 61 50 50 48 43

In the United States, only U.S. citizens (children and adults) should have access to free education.

45 45 45 49 42 31 35 43 42 43 51

Don't know 7 7 8 6 8 2 4 6 8 9 6

BUT AMERICANS SPLIT ON WHETHER FREE EDUCATION SHOULD BE AVAILABLE TO ALL OR JUST U.S. CITIZENS

African Americans and Hispanics/Latino are more likely to say that all should have access to free education regardless of country of citizenship

KEY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

27

AMERICANS ARE SYMPATHETIC ON LITERACY, BUT THEY NEED MOTIVATION

• They see a need to do something to improve education and literacy

• But these are not top-of-mind issues• JOB #1: Putting the issue in front of them through a

high-visibility communication campaign• Conversation #1: Barbara Bush Foundation joins 100%

Literacy

1


28

THEY BELIEVE BASIC EDUCATION IS A RIGHT THAT THE COMMUNITY CAN HELP PROVIDE

• Americans see basic education as a civil right• They also believe that adults deserve a second chance• They think the public education system has a role in all

types of literacy programs• Conversation #2: Barbara Bush Foundation: Let’s

convene the world thinkers.

2

29

• CORE MESSAGE: Literacy is a right that provides equal opportunity, which our children deserve.

• From there, we can talk about helping parents stay involved in their children’s literacy

• We can also talk about adults getting a second chance, linking it to the economy and the need for skilled workers

• Conversation #3: The new conversation with schools


3 MESSAGING SHOULD START WITH GIVING OUR CHILDREN THE CHANCE TO SUCCEED

Barbara Bush Foundation for family literacy quantitative detailed report

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