Press Story

Swing voters more likely to rank childcare as a top priority issue

Current system isn’t working for children, parents or providers

Parents and grandparents’ top priority is greater investment in nurseries to prevent closures and train staff – over and above more free hours

Whichever party has the most credible offer on childcare is likely to gain an electoral advantage among swing voters, according to new research by IPPR.

New analysis from the think tank exploring the electoral support for action on childcare – identifying key voter groups and their priorities – reveals that swing voters in England are more likely than average to rank affordable, available childcare as a top priority issue.

Swing voters are 2.3 times more likely if they are parents, and 1.3 more likely as a whole, to prioritise improving childcare availability and costs than the average voter.

Over one in 10 swing voters (13 per cent) consider childcare among their top three priorities.

This voter coalition is formed of swing voters, ‘disengaged commuters’ and Black and Asian voters, as well as parents and grandparents.

Beyond these voters, there is still a significant appetite for action on childcare, especially to reduce inequality. More than half of voters would back a political party planning to expand childcare for disadvantaged families.

The findings also reinforce an established body of evidence that the current system isn’t working for children, parents or providers.

Less than half of parents with young children (46 per cent) say they have easy access to a nursery and only a quarter of the public (27 per cent) say childcare is affordable.

Parents on a low income are considerably less likely than affluent parents to feel satisfied that they have access to nursery staff that enjoy their work and are well supported (41 per cent) – pointing to a concerning gap in quality of provision.

The current system is also perpetuating inequalities, with parents of a child with a special educational need or disability more likely to report it has been difficult to find childcare (43 per cent compared with 38 per cent of parents of non-disabled children).

Regarding childcare as a barrier to work, 71 per cent of parents working part time said childcare factors were behind their inability to go full time, with the vast majority (84 per cent) of those saying they would be likely to increase their working hours if they had access to more free childcare hours.

The public’s top three priorities for childcare are:

Provide more money to nurseries to prevent nursery closures, and spend more on staff training, instead of increasing the number of children offered free hours at a nursery or a childminder.

Extend the offer of 30 free hours at nursery a weekto children whose parents are studying, as well as those who are working

Make after-school clubs free for all primary school-age children.

IPPR is calling for a childcare guarantee – a universal offer of high-quality support extending from the end of parental leave through to the end of primary school.

Rachel Statham, associate director at IPPR, said:

“When the UK government announced the largest-ever expansion of free childcare last spring, they might have expected to reap the benefits at the next General Election. But a botched roll-out and a lack of resource has left parents and providers without the security they need.

“As the country prepares to go to the polls, childcare is likely to be a top concern for voters at this election. Parents and grandparents want to see more funding for nurseries to prevent closures and train staff, over and above further expansion of free childcare hours – suggesting they want to see a serious plan to stabilise the sector and boost quality. Whichever party offers a credible plan for childcare may well stand to win over a crucial constituency of swing voters come July.”

ENDS

Rachel Statham the report’s author is available for interview

CONTACT

Liam Evans, Senior Digital and Media Officer: 07419 365334 l.evans@ippr.org

NOTES TO EDITORS

The IPPR paper, An electoral strategy for childcare, by Rachel Statham and Mel Wilkes, will be published at 00:01 on Monday 3 June. It will be available for download at: http://www.ippr.org/articles/an-electoral-strategy-for-childcare
Advance copies of the report are available under embargo on request
Disengaged commuters are the largest voter group in most constituencies, living in suburbs and towns. They tend to be socially conservative, typically less politically engaged than some groups, and often a swing voter.
IPPR conducted two surveys of adults in England to learn about perceptions of our childcare system, including:
1. A survey conducted by Focal Data of a nationally representative sample of more than 4,000 adults in England in September 2023.
2. A survey conducted by Focal Data of more than 2,000 parents and grandparents in England between December 2023 and January 2024.
IPPR (the Institute for Public Policy Research) is an independent charity working towards a fairer, greener, and more prosperous society. We are researchers, communicators, and policy experts creating tangible progressive change, and turning bold ideas into common sense realities. Working across the UK, IPPR, IPPR North, and IPPR Scotland are deeply connected to the people of our nations and regions, and the issues our communities face. We have helped shape national conversations and progressive policy change for more than 30 years. From making the early case for the minimum wage and tackling regional inequality, to proposing a windfall tax on energy companies, IPPR’s research and policy work has put forward practical solutions for the crises facing society. www.ippr.org