A majority of Manitobans wouldn’t mind paying a little more in taxes if it went to child care in the province.
A Probe research phone survey showed three in four respondents agreed a universal child care system – where every child who needs a space gets one – should be a priority for the government.
Fifty-eight per cent of the respondents said they are willing to pay a little more in taxes for a universal health care system.
Other findings from the public survey:
- More than 80 per cent agreed the lack of child care is a serious issue in the province.
- Seventy-five per cent say child care is too expensive in Manitoba.
- Only 11 per cent said it’s easy to find child care in the province.
- Sixty-four per cent said child care should be part of the education system.
The poll also found Winnipeg residents and those with a child in a daycare prefer child care centres; while rural residents and middle aged men preferred home-based child care.
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As of the end of September, there were 15,273 children on the online child care registry waiting list.
This poll was initiated by the Manitoba Child Care Association and conducted between Sept. 12 and Sept. 26 with a sample of 1,000 Manitobans from a Probe Research telephone poll. It is accurate to within 3.1 percentage points of what they would have been if the entire adult population of Manitoba had been interviewed.