Parents and children seem to be feeling the effects of gun violence. Parents worry about their children’s safety in school and feel anxious, scared, and angry. Many parents also report that their children feel the same.
Both sides of the gun control debate have parents who are concerned about their children’s safety. Parents of school-aged children worry at least somewhat about gun violence at school. One in three parents is very worried. Seeing or hearing about the shooting at Uvalde school in Texas, a large majority of parents feel sad, stressed, scared, and nervous. Parents say that two thirds of them are angry.
Parents are not the only ones who are worried. Most parents also worry about their children. Over half of parents report that their children are concerned about gun violence at school. More than 25% say they worry a lot.
Many parents have spoken to their children about gun violence after the shooting at Uvalde school in Texas. Many children feel the same emotions as their parents. Majorities of parents report that their children feel sadness. Half of them are anxious, scared, angry or stressed after hearing or seeing the shooting.
To reduce the possibility of school shootings, parents favor active policies at their schools.
A large majority favors having armed police or security guards in schools. They also support active shooter drills for staff and students. These measures are supported across political lines. A majority of Republican parents support allowing teachers and school officials to have guns. This measure is also popular with most independents and parents. While most Democratic parents are against this, four out of 10 would like it to happen.
The CBS News/YouGov survey included a nationally representative sample consisting of 2,021 U.S. adults interviewed from June 1-3, 2022. Based on the U.S. Census American Community Survey (current population survey) and 2020 presidential vote, the sample was weighted according gender, age, and race. The margin of error is +-2.6%.
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