- A National Parents Union poll found most parents are worried about the rising cost of gas and food.
- They're also concerned about housing costs and making ends meet.
- "The mental gymnastics that we are putting parents and families in…it's exhausting."
The rising cost of everyday purchases like gas or food is weighing heavily on America's parents, and an advocate is warning that if Democrats don't take heed they could lose out on those votes in the November elections.
A new poll shared exclusively with Insider found that 50% of parents surveyed said they were "extremely concerned" about affording those necessities, while another 40% said they were either very or somewhat concerned.
The National Parents Union survey of 1,000 parents of K-12 public school students showed they are worried about a range of economic issues facing their families, from inflation to the cost of housing or difficulty making ends meet.
The idea of, "Oh my God, everything is so expensive," is adding weight to parents' mental load as federal support during the pandemic goes away, Keri Rodrigues, National Parents Union co-founder and president, told Insider. As gas prices and grocery bills increase, the ending of the federal child tax credit in December hit families hard, she said. They are thinking about ways to cut back and questioning whether they can sign up their children for basketball or soccer unless they find a way to carpool.
Democrats, who have control of the White House and Congress have not been able to extend the temporary aid that helped keep millions of families afloat — in part because of intra-party disagreements and Republican blockades.
"Just the mental gymnastics that we are putting parents and families in, in this moment — it's exhausting," said Rodrigues, who has five children.
Inflation will cause the average US household to spend $5,200 more than last year for the same consumption, according to a Bloomberg report cited by House Republicans' campaign arm. They hope to saddle Democrats with blame for inflation as they head into midterm elections and appeal to voters as the "party of parents."
Rodrigues, an elected member of the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee, said Democrats at the local to federal level who are dismissive of parents during this moment of anxiety, panic, and fear could face their rejection at the ballot box. Other NPU polling has shown Democrats losing ground as the trusted party for parent voters on social, economic and social issues, she said.
"You're seeing parents and families seeking the ear of another party who's at least willing to hear us out and that's a really dangerous political position I think folks are putting themselves in," she said.
Of the survey respondents, 34% leaned or considered themselves Republicans while 51 percent are Democrats or Democrat-leaning.
The rising cost of housing or rent was another major issue for parents, with 58% saying they were extremely or very concerned. About half of those surveyed said they were extremely or very concerned about making ends meet or losing their job or income because of the pandemic.
The cost of childcare was extremely or very concerning for 42% surveyed. The full poll will be released Thursday.
In the past two years, Rodrigues said, parents have shouldered the success of the American economy while holding up the health care system and co-facilitating public education. Politicians seemed surprised to learn that parents are angry during the November elections, she said, when Republicans picked up statehouse seats in New Jersey and Virginia while also flipping the Virginia governor's mansion.
"Yes, we're angry," she said. "We're also full of fear and anxiety."