Poll: Broad support for funding childcare, school lunches, affordable housing

A new statewide poll shows North Dakotans who support state involvement in providing free school meals, funding childcare initiatives and helping build more affordable housing. 

This support of big government expenditures comes despite a generally conservative political climate that favors curtailed spending and less government in North Dakota. 

The poll, commissioned by the North Dakota News Cooperative, could also provide insight for legislators at the upcoming 69th Legislative Assembly which convenes on Jan. 7, 2025, on key areas of concern for state residents. 

Large support free school meals 

An overwhelming majority of respondents support state involvement in providing free school meals for children, with 82% in favor and only 14% opposing. A total of 65% strongly favor providing free meals at schools. 

That support is generally high among all age groups with the most opposition coming from men over 55 years of age. 

Within party affiliation, 95% of Democrats, 82% of Independents and 76% of Republicans supported providing free meals at schools. 

During the last legislative session, House Bill 1491 fell short of passing by one vote in the state Senate after passing the House. That bill would have provided free lunches for children from families at 200% of the federal poverty level - so for example, a family of three making around $60,000 at the time -  and would have cost $6 million over the two years it was funded. 

This expenditure was later added to Senate Bill 2284, the state's education funding bill, and passed at the end of the session. The expanded eligibility allows an additional 1,700 students to receive free meals during the 23-24 and 24-25 school years across the state.

An earlier version of House Bill 1491 had called for universal free school lunches - with a price tag of $90 million - but was modified to increase its chances of passing. 

Yearning for more on childcare

Broad support also appears to be growing for more state involvement in finding solutions to the childcare crisis, where workforce challenges persist, creating gaps between the supply of childcare spaces and strong demand. As more families move to the state to fill open positions, solving that crisis will be paramount in continuing to attract talent. 

A total of 61% of respondents support state involvement in childcare, with 31% opposed. Support here was slightly more mixed than the other initiatives, with 34% strongly supporting state involvement, and 21 percent strongly opposed. Support and opposition remained generally steady across all age groups, though the most support comes from respondents between the ages of 18-34. 

Among party affiliation, 82% of Democrat, 57% of Republican and 55% of Independent respondents favored the state doing more. 

In 2023, the legislature passed House Bill 1540, which provided $66 million in state funds for helping to alleviate workforce and other childcare challenges. At the time, some groups said it would take at least double or potentially triple that amount to really make a difference in addressing the crisis. 

Respondents support affordable housing 

There is also strong support for the state to do more in tackling the affordable housing crisis, with 68% believing the state should give more support and 22% opposing that support. A total of 48% definitely believe the state should do more in this area. 

In mid-November, Gov. Doug Burgum released a proposed $96 million in recommendations for addressing housing needs in the state, including around $39 million for financing options to help cover gaps in developing single and multi-family homes, $23 million for grants toward rural and urban housing projects, and another $10 million for addressing homelessness. 

The office of the governor will submit the recommendations to the legislature in December. 

Splits on school choice 

For a question looking at whether North Dakotans would be in favor of using public dollars to support private schools, respondents were split: 45% in support, and 44% in opposition. 

The numbers were evenly split on those who strongly supported or opposed school choice as well: 27% strongly support school choice, and 28% strongly oppose. 

The latest poll also shows a move away from the two major parties when it comes to party affiliation. Only 29% consider themselves staunch Republicans and only 11% strong Democrats, while 37% identified as Independent. 

Diving further into those numbers shows potentially where those trends are going: 47% of those between the ages of 18-34 consider themselves Independent. 

For women ages 18-54, 45% see themselves as independent from either major party. 

Among other poll questions related to government or government policy, North Dakotans took a generally positive view of state government. A total of 51% believe North Dakota lawmakers behave ethically compared to 35% who do not believe so. 

On whether people see the state government as too big or not, the picture is mixed: 39% believe it is too big, and 38% do not believe so. A large chunk, at 23%, didn't know or refused to answer. 

The North Dakota Poll surveyed 500 adults between Nov. 17-19, and has a margin of error of +/- 4.4%. The poll surveyed roughly equal numbers of men and women, as well as equally from the eastern and western halves of the state. The poll was conducted by national research firm WPA Intelligence. 

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