2012 Debate Watch: Where are the Kids?

Voices Report: Only 2 percent of 2012 debates about kids’ issues

With 22 percent of American children living in poverty, why are we only talking about kids’ issues 2 percent of the time? Poverty is just one of many issues the 2012 presidential candidates ignored in their series of debates during the primaries. As our new report shows, issues of child well-being — child health, K-12 education, early childhood care, and more — made up only 2 percent of the talk.

“So they’re always in the photo op, but not in the discussion,” said Roy Miller, head of Voices member organization Children’s Campaign, in a story for the Jacksonville Daily Record.

Read the new Voices report on kids in the 2012 presidential primary debates. This edition is an update to our earlier analysis that showed a similarly dire lack of talk about kids. By using the transcripts of the 2012 presidential debates, we show how children have been neglected in the national discourse.

Our press release has more information, including reactions from child advocates around the country.