VOICES FOR TWO-GENERATION SUCCESS · 2017. 10. 5. · These findings and more are included in this report, Voices for Two-Generation Success: Opportunities for Policy Change. To equip

1Ascend at the Aspen Institute http://ascend.aspeninstitute.org @aspenascend

VOICES FOR TWO-GENERATION SUCCESSOPPORTUNITIES FOR POLICY CHANGE: FINDINGS AND MESSAGING TIPS FROM A NATIONAL SURVEY COMMISSIONED BY ASCEND AT THE ASPEN INSTITUTE


Voices for Two-Generation Success: Opportunities for Policy Change

In 2011, Ascend at the Aspen Institute spearheaded an effort to elevate and embrace the voices and perspectives of families across the country to inform the development of two-generation approaches. As the national hub for breakthrough ideas and collaborations that move children and their parents toward educational success and economic security, Ascend has commissioned focus groups and polling with families across race and ethnicity, and captured both the successes and challenges experienced by low-income parents, single and married, men and women. We have learned that low-income parents are deeply resilient and driven to create better lives for themselves and their children. We have learned that education is a core value of American adults and that families believe that building social capital – the relationships and networks that propel us forward – is a critical missing link in many services and programs. We have also learned that for the first time in history, adults today no longer believe the next generation will be better off.

And yet, times of crisis bring opportunity: in the fall of 2014, Ascend continued its bipartisan partnership with Lake Research Partners, commissioning a poll to examine public support for Top 10 for 2-Gen, an Ascend report on the leading policy innovations for two-generation solutions, which provide opportunities for and meet the needs of children and their parents together. The findings, which were also analyzed by Republican researcher Vince Breglio & Associates, were affirming and powerful:

■ A majority of Americans overwhelmingly believe a two-generation approach is most effective for moving families toward stability and opportunity. This is true even if the approach raised their taxes;

■ In an election eve exit poll, we learned that voters, typically a more conservative group, strongly support a two-generation approach;

■ Americans across demographics believe investing in a parent’s economic well-being will help their children succeed; and

■ A majority of Americans favor policies that would help students enrolled in colleges who have young children.

These findings and more are included in this report, Voices for Two-Generation Success: Opportunities for Policy Change. To equip you with talking points to share these findings with colleagues and partners, we have also included a set of message tips on the bipartisan findings. We encourage you to test these tips and give us feedback on what resonates and opposition arguments you may hear. As we look ahead to 2015, we are advancing a new agenda of two-generation policy opportunities that reflect the needs, experiences, and support of American families. We hope you will join us.

In partnership,

Anne MosleVice President, the Aspen InstituteExecutive Director, Ascend at the Aspen Institute


Table of ContentsPublic Support for Two-Generation ApproachesFindings from a national survey commissioned by Ascend at the Aspen Institute

• Research methodology page 4

• Bipartisan polling research findingsLearn what the latest public opinion research says about support for two-generation policies to lift families out of poverty page 5

• Putting the research to work page 25

Message tipsHow can the polling data help refine two-generation messages? What lessons does it offer in approaching policymakers and other audiences? page 33


Methodology(

3+

Ascend+at+the+Aspen+InsJtute+commissioned+Lake+Research+Partners+to+conduct+this+naJonal+omnibus+survey+of+1,005+adults+over+the+age+of+18+naJonwide+in+the+conJnental+United+States.+The+survey+was+conducted+from+September+18I21,+2014,+and+has+a+margin+of+error+of++/I+3.1%+at+the+95%+confidence+interval.+The+margin+of+error+is+higher+among+subgroups.++++

Research(Commissioned(by(Ascend(at(the(Aspen(InsAtute(


4+

Support(For(a(

Two?GeneraAon(

Approach(



5+

Americans(overwhelmingly(believe(a(two?

generaAon(approach(is(most(effecAve.(

Federal/State(Programs(to(Help(People(Get(Out(of(Poverty:(Which(is(Most(EffecAve?(

•  Programs(targeted(to(PARENTS(to(help(them(get(the(skills(and(educaAon(necessary(to(get(a(good(paying(job(

•  Programs(targeted(to(CHILDREN(to(help(them(get(a(quality(educaAon(that(prepares(them(for(the(job(

market(

•  Programs(targeted(to(BOTH(PARENTS(AND(CHILDREN(to(help(each(get(the(educaAon(and(training(they(need(

•  We(do(not(need(any(more(programs(





























TOP 10

for2gen

Message TipsSince 2011, Ascend has conducted national bipartisan focus groups, commissioned bipartisan polling, and engaged a range of communications experts to inform us on how to “talk two-gen”. Out of this research, which has engaged parents, married and single, across a diverse range of racial and ethnic backgrounds, has emerged a set of message tips that we hope you find helpful as you talk to your elected officials and colleagues about two-generation approaches. While we have prepared these tips with policymakers as an audience, many will be useful for practitioner, family, and philanthropic audiences as well.

Please reference also Top Ten for 2Gen: Policy Ideas and Principles to Advance Two-Generation Efforts and the Voices for Two-Generation Success Top Ten Polling materials by Lake Research Partners and Vince Breglio & Associates. Both can be found on the Ascend at the Aspen Institute website at http://ascend.aspeninstitute.org

Remember to begin your conversations by defining the two-generation approach to policies. Follow that with a short statement as to why this approach promises to be a more effective way to meet the needs of families struggling to break the cycle of poverty:

■ Two-generation policies address two generations at the same time and provide opportunities for and meet the needs of low-income children and their parents simultaneously.

■ We all want to see families thrive, but fragmented approaches that address the needs of children and their parents separately often leave either the child or parent behind and dim the family’s chance at success. Placing parents and children in silos ignores the daily challenges faced by parents who are working or studying while raising a child, a challenge even more pronounced for those with low wages. Two-generation approaches work with children and their parents simultaneously to harness the family’s full potential and put the whole family on a path to permanent economic security.

■ Providing opportunities for children and their parents together is a more efficient approach, creating a greater potential return on investment in families and streamlining systems that serve them.

Keep in mind that people may be approaching the goal of helping families either from a child-centered focus or an adult-centered focus. Reinforce that your goals are mutually supportive and explain why a two-generation approach can connect and accelerate the good work of those approaches by pursuing outcomes for both parents and children.

Refer to two-generation policies as “two-generation” rather than “dual generation.”Here’s why: Focus group participants said “two-generation” sounds more like it describes a family.


Talk about “pursuing dreams” rather than “achieving success.”Here’s why: Focus group participants suggested parents want their children to pursue their dreams and be happy. “Success” comes across as an elitist goal that excludes a range of career paths.

Descriptions of two-generation programs and policies should be inclusive. Emphasize the approach’s benefits to everyone (say parents and children or parents, children, and families, understanding that families and family relationships come in all shapes and sizes), rather than a more narrow, targeted group such as “single mothers.” Here’s why: Focus groups found people believe everyone is struggling and that a targeted program will leave out people, including children in need of help.

Try to simplify how you discuss the Top Ten for 2Gen policies. Here’s why: Polling shows that the more complex two-generation policy ideas have less support than the simpler ones presented.

Bipartisan Analysis: Clusters of Support for 2Gen Policies2Gen Embracers Subdued Supporters Questioning Opposition

Strongly supportive of Top Ten policies serving children & parents

Somewhat less enthusiastic in their intensity but generally supportive

Not supportive but not solidly opposed either

Bipartisan but more Democrats More Republicans than Democrats More Republicans than Democrats

Younger (more under age 50) & more American-Americans & Hispanics

More college graduates

Remind policymakers that there is strong support for the two-generation approach that cuts across party lines, race, class, age, and gender: 89 percent of all Americans support two-generation approaches.

Be mindful that even among 2Gen Embracers the value of two-generation policies needs to be reinforced.Here’s why: Polling data shows that while two out of three 2Gen Embracers choose “programs targeted to both parents and children to help each get the education and training they need,” one out of three are more apt to support either child-focused programs or adult-focused programs as more effective ways to improve the lives of families. Understand that as you engage on these policies, initially Republicans will be more likely to support parent-targeted programs, but polling shows that there are issues in the two-generation agenda that they strongly support. Highlight and begin with these issues (listed below) as you educate potential Republican allies on the power of 2Gen policies:

■ Extending the hours for career services and childhood development;

■ State-run home visiting programs;

■ Providing access for low income students; and

■ Creating partnerships between colleges and universities with government and nonprofit organizations.


On the other hand, there are some issues that polling shows are likely to be the most difficult to convince moderate Republicans in the Subdued Support audience to accept:

■ Simplifying the application process to public assistance for low-income parents, so that one application can determine eligibility across multiple programs.

■ Reduced subsidies for child care when a low-income parent receives a raise in wages, even if the raise does not equal the amount of the subsidy

■ Allowing workforce training and education programs beyond high school should count as part of this 20-hour weekly work requirement under TANF.

Ascend at the Aspen Institute is committed to a gender lens and racial equity in its analysis. The polling data referenced above (and available on our website) is broken out by gender and race. • We would appreciate any feedback on these tips, messages you have found successful, and opposition arguments you have heard - via email to [email protected]

QUICK FACTS ON TWO-GENERATION APPROACHES

Below are key data and message points on the research that supports two-generation approaches:

■ A body of research demonstrates the connection between maternal education and child outcomes.

■ National data have consistently shown a relationship between parental education level and how well children are prepared for success as they enter kindergarten. For example, the mean reading and math scores for children entering kindergarten for the first time in the 2010-2011 school year increased according to the children’s parents’ level of educational attainment.

■ There is some evidence that parent engagement can further enhance school readiness for kindergartners.

■ Parents’ level of educational attainment is the best predictor of economic mobility for their children.

■ Low levels of educational attainment and poverty are strongly correlated. Only 10 percent of those with a bachelor’s degree are poor. More than 30 percent of those with a high school diploma or less are poor.

■ The return on investment in high-quality early childhood education has been estimated at between 7 and 10 percent.

■ Research shows that children can serve as a motivator for adults, particularly mothers. Participants in CAP Tulsa’s CareerAdvance® program have shared that they are more involved with their children’s learning as a result of their participation in postsecondary education. This mutual motivation suggests that the benefits of two-generation programs may be greater than the sum of their separate programmatic parts.

■ Evidence shows that mothers who use child care benefit from the advice of other mothers they encounter and as a result can navigate hardships more effectively and more efficiently access resources such as economic supports.


One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 700Washington, DC 20036

http://ascend.aspeninstitute.org

@aspenascend

Documents

VOICES FOR TWO-GENERATION SUCCESS · 2017. 10. 5. · These findings and more are included in this report, Voices for Two-Generation Success: Opportunities for Policy Change. To equip