Swing voters in England are more likely than average to view affordable, available childcare as a top priority ahead of the general election on 4 July, 2024, according to research from the IPPR think tank.
Parents and grandparents are well aware that the current system isn’t working and they want to see greater investment in nurseries to prevent closures and train staff, over and above more free hours, the research showed.
The IPPR’s examination of electoral support for action on childcare found that 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.
More than one in 10 swing voters (13 per cent) consider childcare among their top three priorities.
Significant appetite
This group of voters comprises ‘disengaged commuters’, Black and Asian voters, and parents and grandparents.
But beyond this group, there is 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.
IPPR said its findings add to an established body of evidence that the current system isn’t working for children, parents or providers.
Just 46 percent of parents with young children say they have easy access to a nursery and only 27 percent of the public say childcare is affordable.
Gap in quality
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 percent). The IPPR said that this points to a concerning gap in quality of provision.
The current system also maintains inequality. For example, parents of a child with a special educational need or disability are more likely to report it has been difficult to find childcare (43 percent compared with 38 percent of parents of non-disabled children).
A lack of affordable, available childcare is also a barrier to work, with 71 percent of parents who work part time saying that childcare issues were behind their inability to go full time. Within this group, 84 percent say they would be likely to increase their working hours if they had access to more free childcare hours.
The IPPR identified the public’s top three priorities for childcare as:
- Give nurseries more money to prevent 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 week to children whose parents are studying, as well as those who are working
- Make after-school clubs free for all primary school-age children.
The 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.”
