U.S. Voters Prefer a Candidate Who Backs Caregiving-Related Legislative Proposals

As the famous quote from Rosalynn Carter notes, there are only four kinds of people in the world. Those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need a caregiver.

The results of our survey of U.S. registered voters underscores the truth behind Rosalynn Carter's words. We found that one-third of the voters in this study were caregivers in the past, one-fifth are currently caregivers, and half expect to be a caregiver in the future.

Voters believe Congress should support family caregivers. More than two-thirds of registered voters age 18 and older believe that it is extremely or very important for Congress to help seniors continue to live independently in their own homes, and more than half believe it is extremely or very important to provide support to unpaid family caregivers.

Family caregivers are a large and important constituency. One-fifth (21%) of registered voters — over 45 million voters — are family caregivers who provide care to a loved one with a disability or who is sick or aging.

Among voters age 50 and older, the figures are even higher, with three-quarters and six in 10 noting the importance of addressing these issues.

Caregiving takes a big chunk out of many caregivers' yearly finances and several hours from their week. Emotional stress, having to miss important events, and needing to balance their work, family, and caregiving responsibilities are also common among many family caregivers. 

Legislative proposals, whether to support family caregivers or to improve nursing homes and long-term care services, would motivate voters. More than seven in ten voters age 18 and older say they would be more likely to support a candidate who backed proposals to support family caregivers, such as paid family leave, a tax credit of up to $5,000, and expanded access to support and respite services.

Methodology

The Support for Family Caregiving study was conducted by the bipartisan polling team of Fabrizio Ward and Impact Research for AARP among a sample of U.S. registered voters 18 and older using a combination of phone and text-to-web sampling.

The survey interviews averaged 20 minutes in length. They were conducted in English April 4–10, 2023.  A total of 1,425 completed interviews resulted in a margin of error of ± 3.4 percent.

There were also oversamples of voters ages 50 and older, Black voters, Hispanic voters, Asian and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters, and family caregivers.  For the oversampled groups, the margins of error are: +/- 3.4% for voters age 50-plus, +/- 6.9% for Black and Hispanic voters, +/- 8.9% for AAPI voters, and +/- 4.9% for family caregivers.

For more information, please contact Teresa A. Keenan at TKeenan@aarp.org. For media inquiries, please contact External Relations at media@aarp.org.