What do American families really care about right now?

As the 2026 midterm elections approach, pollsters and strategists from all over the world of politics are trying to get a pulse on American families. Kimberly recently sat down with a panel of experts at the Aspen Forum on Children and Families to discuss what their research is revealing and what it means for the future of policies that affect children and families across the United States. So, we’re sharing some of that conversation today. Spoiler: the economy comes up a lot. Here’s everything we talked about today: VIDEO: "Reality Check: What's Really Going On With Families" from the Aspen Institute "Voters See a Middle-Class Lifestyle as Drifting Out of Reach, Poll Finds" from The New York Times "The good, the bad and the ugly of election polling" from “Make Me Smart” We love hearing from you. Leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART or email makemesmart@marketplace.org.