STUDY: Are the kids all right? Recent survey asked Georgia parents

Caption

Toddlers play with paint at the Child Development Center.

Credit: Sofi Gratas/GPB News

Nearly 1,000 parents were surveyed this year for the report out of Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, called The State of Child Health and Well-Being in Georgia 2025.  

Responses came from across counties and demographics and were weighted against data from the U.S. Census. The idea was to get a representative sample of Georgia families, said researcher Stephen Patrick.  

“And we asked parents to rank issues that they were worried about,” he said. 

Across the board, education and school quality was at the top. Safety in schools also ranked high generally, with 60% of parents surveyed reporting they believe schools are less safe today than a decade ago.  

In an even greater consensus, 91% of parents said they support free or reduced lunch at school. Cuts to the U.S. Department of Agriculture this year have already targeted programs that pay for locally grown food in school cafeterias. Meanwhile some members of Congress have proposed changes to who could be eligible for free or reduced lunch to save money, though changes could leave out hundreds of kids.  

When broken down across demographics, the top concerns varied. For example, white parents listed social media use as No. 1, while Hispanic and Black parents were most worried about gun violence.  

Patrick said safe gun storage can be a preventative measure.  

“Pediatricians should be asking at every visit, 'Do you have a firearm? Is it safely stored?'” he said. “Parents said only about a quarter of their pediatrician visits covered that." 

In Georgia, according to data from the state Department of Public Health, homicide is the leading cause of death among Black children ages 1 to 17. White, Asian and Hispanic kids die the most from motor vehicle crashes and suicide.  

There were some other divides in responses, such as in health care use, where Black parents reported far higher enrollment in Medicaid, and in reported food security, where White parents felt by far more confident about their access to food.  

• RELATED: Safe food, water. Less chronic disease. Affordable care. These are Georgians' priorities, poll says 

Patrick said the data is a starting point.  

“These are numbers and behind them are kids and families,” he said. “And I think what this is is a call to action for all of us.” 

The full report was published Tuesday morning.