Half of parents want final say over whether kids wear masks in school

In the most recent Economist/YouGov poll, parents of K-12 students tend to say that parents should have the most authority over whether K-12 students are required to wear masks. Nearly half of K-12 parents (46%) want “parents” to be the primary decision maker, while 45% chose a different named option, such as school administrators (19%), the government (16%) or teachers (10%).

While many U.S. adults also want parents to have the final say (36%), even more (49%) choose from the other named figures, including school administrators (24%), the government (18%), or teachers (7%).

When it comes to mandatory vaccines for K-12 students, Americans are also split: 42% say K-12 schools should be allowed to mandate vaccines generally, while 45% do not. Parents of K-12 students are more likely (51%) to say that the schools should not be allowed to mandate shots.