You can become a doctor, musician, or teacher but don’t think about entering politics, parents say.
In an era where Washington can’t seem to get anything done (gun reform? immigration?) and Congress possess dismal approval ratings, a Gallup poll released last week shows that by a 2-to-1 margin, Americans do not want their child to enter into a political career.
The poll arrives after a series of disgraced politicians make or attempt comebacks, including Mark Sanford, Anthony Weiner, and Elliot Spitzer, raising the question: should we want our children to enter the political ring?
According to the poll, Americans favor their daughter entering politics as opposed to their son. The poll showed that when first asked about their daughter entering politics, 37% said they would like to see that happen. Yet, when the subject of their son entering politics was brought up first only 25% want their son to launch a political career.
In the past five decades, parents' opinions on this have changed very little. Support for a son’s political career spiked in 1965 when more than 30% of Americans said they wanted their son to go into politics. This was “at a time when Americans were still rallying around President Johnson after he took office following the death of John F. Kennedy,” Gallup reported.