AARP Eye Center
En Español | WASHINGTON—Voters across the country want Congress to address family caregiving issues, according to a new AARP poll released today, conducted by the bipartisan polling team of Fabrizio Ward and Impact Research. This is especially true for those age 50 and older: over two-thirds of voters, and 75% of voters 50+, say it is very important for Congress to help seniors live in their own homes. More than half (57%) say the same for supporting unpaid family caregivers.
An overwhelming majority of voters, 78%, are either a current, past, or future family caregiver. Over 70% of voters across the political spectrum say they would be more likely to support a candidate who backed proposals to support family caregivers, such as a tax credit, paid family leave, and more support and respite services.
“Family caregivers are the backbone of a broken long-term care system, providing $600 billion in unpaid labor each year and saving taxpayers billions,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer. “It is long past time for lawmakers to enact commonsense solutions that support family caregivers and help older Americans live independently in their homes, where they want to be.”
The poll also found that:
“The data is clear: regardless of your political stripes, people adamantly want to age at home rather than a nursing home,” said Tony Fabrizio, partner in Fabrizio Ward. “It’s why support for helping caregivers is so politically important.”
“Family caregivers are stressed emotionally and financially, and proposals to help them are overwhelmingly popular and key to helping older Americans remain in their homes,” said John Anzalone, founder of Impact Research. “This may be the sleeper issue of the 2024 elections with a voting group that makes up one in five Americans.”
AARP is calling on state and federal lawmakers to:
Survey Methodology:
AARP commissioned the bipartisan polling team of Fabrizio Ward and Impact Research to conduct the survey by phone and text-to-web from April 4-10, 2023. The final poll included 1,425 registered voters with oversamples of voters age 50+, Black voters, Latino voters, AAPI voters, and family caregivers. The margin of error for the 1,425 adults’ sample is +/- 3.4% at the 95% level of confidence. For the oversampled groups, the margins of error are: +/- 3.4% for voters 50+, +/- 6.9% for Black and Latino voters, +/- 8.9% for AAPI voters, and +/- 4.9% for voters 50+.
View the full poll results.
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About AARP
AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence and nearly 38 million members, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org, www.aarp.org/espanol or follow @AARP, @AARPenEspanol @AARPadvocates and @AliadosAdelante on social media.