A majority of New Mexico parents are worried “about the increased prevalence of transgender views in public education,” according to a Southwest Public Policy Institute (SPPI)/ Independent Women’s Forum (IWF) poll.
The bilingual survey, conducted from January 2-24, 2024, among 400 parents in New Mexico in English and Spanish, asked respondents whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement: “I am concerned about the increased prevalence of transgender views in public education.”
More than half of the respondents, 54 percent, agreed with the statement to varying degrees, with a plurality of all respondents (45 percent) “strongly” agreeing. Conversely, 26 percent “strongly” disagreed, while seven percent disagreed with the statement, indicating they were not concerned “about the increased prevalence of transgender views in public education.”
The survey employed a one-to-five scale, with one representing “strongly disagree” and five representing “strongly agree.” The mean average response among Hispanic parents was 3.37, and it was 3.31 among white respondents.
“The responses reflect a moderate level of concern among parents regarding the increased prevalence of transgender views in public education,” the memo notes.
The poll also gauged if respondents supported the heightened “prevalence of transgender views in public education,” finding that a majority of parents did not. Of the respondents, 44 percent “strongly” disagreed with the sentiment that they supported increased transgender ideology in education, while another nine percent reported they disagreed to a lower degree.
On the other hand, 28 percent of respondents agreed that they “support the increased prevalence of transgender views in public education,” including 20 percent of all respondents who “strongly” agreed.
Moreover, New Mexico parents were asked for their opinions on books available to children in schools and whether literature should be “assessed for age appropriateness.” An overwhelming majority of 72 percent of poll participants agreed that books should undergo an “age appropriateness” evaluation. In comparison, just 13 percent disagreed that books in schools should be gauged for age appropriateness.
Most New Mexico parents also believed they should be involved in developing school curriculums and did not believe the government should have “final authority” on what is being taught to their children.
The poll discovered that 52 percent of respondents “strongly” believed “parents should be involved in curriculum development,” while 19 percent agreed to a lesser degree. In comparison, only 11 percent of respondents thought parents should not be involved in crafting curriculum.
Similarly, 59 percent of respondents indicated they “strongly” disagreed with the statement “the government should be the final authority on public school curriculum,” while another 16 percent disagreed. Just nine percent of respondents agreed with the statement to varying degrees.
“The results of SPPI and IWF’s new survey on the state of public education in New Mexico reveal that parents are tired of being left out of the conversation,” Kelsey Bolar, director of storytelling at IWF, said in a statement to Breitbart News.
“The majority of respondents indicated that books assigned at school should be assessed for age-appropriateness and that parents should be involved in curriculum development,” she continued. “These answers not only show that parents have lost faith in the ability of public schools to educate their children, but they also shine a light on the ways that New Mexico has quietly usurped the rights of parents to promote a dangerous ideology that preys on the innocence of children.”
In her own statement to Breitbart News, Judy Pino — the Spanish-language spokeswoman for the IWF — said, “New Mexican parents have spoken.”
“There is no place for sexually explicit content in the public school curriculum. Hispanic students in the state are already at a disadvantage, facing disparities that present barriers to educational opportunities in the most basic school subjects,” Pino contended. “This is a horrific distraction and a topic that should be left for parents to handle as appropriate to their culture and religious beliefs.”
SPPI President Patrick Brenner emphasized to Breitbart News that, oftentimes, “controversial curriculum” is implemented in “schools without anyone ever simply asking, ‘What do parents think about this?’”
“One of our primary goals at Southwest Public Policy Institute is shining the light of transparency wherever we see the shroud of obfuscation. We are proud to partner with IWF on this project. The results are illuminating, to say the least,” Brenner said in his statement.
“It’s our hope that legislators and other New Mexico stakeholders take note of our findings and give them due consideration as they make decisions that will impact these parents and their children for years to come,” he concluded.
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