Support is high in Missouri for prohibiting high school students from accessing their cellphones during school — especially when class is in session, according to a poll released Thursday.
Saint Louis University and YouGov surveyed 900 likely Missouri voters from Aug. 8-16 on a range of topics. The margin of error overall was 3.79%.
Of those surveyed, 72% supported prohibiting high school students from accessing cellphones during school hours. In the classroom, the support grew to 79%.
“We have not asked about cell phones before so this was the first time,” said Ashley Burle, associate director of the SLU/YouGov Poll. “The results were pretty clear that folks think that cellphones should not be in the classroom.”
Support for blocking cellphone access in the classroom, presumably while learning is happening, was strong across the board but was slightly higher among men, older respondents, Republicans, and those with less money and education.
Responses by region show support for the restriction was highest in southeast and northeast Missouri, followed by southwest Missouri with 81%. The lowest was the Kansas City area with 69%.