The public is divided on the idea of families reducing expenses and keeping a parent at home if child care is not available.
Vancouver, BC [September 18, 2025] – A sizeable proportion of British Columbians would like to see more action on the child care file, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative provincial sample, more than four-in-five British Columbians (82%) think it is “very important” or “moderately important” that the provincial government continues to deliver on its commitment to build a quality, flexible $10aDay child care system that’s accessible to families across the province.
Since 2018, the provincial government has been investing in building a quality $10aDay child care system in the province. The investment includes fee reductions for families, more licensed child care spaces, and wage enhancements for early childhood educators.
Only 21% of British Columbians have not heard anything about this plan. Almost half (47%) have heard all about the $10aDay child care system, while just over three-in-ten (31%) have heard about some of the investments.
More than four-in-five British Columbians agree that child care is important to support working parents (85%) and that having children today costs a lot more than it did 40 years ago (83%).
More than seven-in-ten British Columbians (72%) would like to see child care become publicly available like elementary schools. A slightly larger proportion voices support for government investments in more in flexible child care programs for parents who work outside of 9-5, Monday to Friday (74%).
Practically four-in-five British Columbians (79%) agree that, when child care is affordable and available to parents, more mothers can go to work and pay taxes.
British Columbians are divided on the notion of most families not needing child care services if they reduced their expenses so that one parent could afford to stay at home. Similar proportions of respondents across the province either agree (46%) or disagree (45%) with the statement.
“Most British Columbians of Indigenous and South Asian descent (65% and 52% respectively) believe it is relatively easy for a family to reduce expenses if child care is not available,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “Only 42% of British Columbians of European and East Asian heritage share this view.”
There is also a split when British Columbians are asked to ponder if grandparents should help with child care more, to reduce the cost for parents, with 46% of residents agreeing with the statement and 43% disagreeing with it.
More than half of British Columbians aged 55 and over (52%) disagree with the idea of grandparents helping with child care more, compared to 37% of those aged 35-to-54 and 39% of those aged 18-to-34.
Methodology: Results are based on an online survey conducted from August 28 to August 30, 2025, among 801 adults in British Columbia. The data has been statistically weighted according to census figures for age, gender and region in British Columbia. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.5 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.
Find our data tables here and download the press release here.
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490
[e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca