The 2017 EdNext poll reported a steep drop in support for charter schools, with only 39 percent of the public supporting their formation—a drastic change from 2016, when 51 percent of the public supported charters. After the poll results were released, however, Frederick Hess and Amy Cummings at the American Enterprise Institute wondered if this dip could have been “a statistical blip.” The Understanding America Study (UAS), a survey regularly administered to a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults by the University of Southern California, gave us the chance to find out.

According to the latest results from the UAS survey, 47 percent of U.S. adults now support charter schools and just 29 percent oppose them, with the remaining respondents not having an opinion—all of which means a sizeable rebound in support for charters.

—Education Next