# Americans broadly back paid leave for childbirth and serious illness

Canonical page: https://data.verasight.io/money/americans-broadly-back-paid-leave-for-childbirth-and-serious-illness/

> Indexed question in Money & Finance.

## Reading

In a Verasight survey conducted March 6-16, 2026, large majorities of Americans endorse nearly every reason a federal paid-leave law might allow. Physical recovery from childbirth draws the widest support (83%), closely followed by recovery from one's own serious health condition (81%) and caring for a seriously ill family member (75%).

The other reasons draw nearly as much backing: 68% support leave to attend to a military family member's deployment or injury, 64% to bond with a new child, and 61% to handle a family experience of domestic or sexual violence. Just 7% support none of these reasons.

## Topline

If the United States were to pass federal paid family leave legislation, for what reasons should a worker be able to take leave?

Americans broadly back paid leave for childbirth and serious illness.

Respondents could select more than one option, so shares may sum to more than 100%.

- Physical recovery from childbirth: 82.6%
- Recovery from a serious health condition: 81.4%
- Caring for a family member with a serious health condition: 75.1%
- Military family deployment, injury, or illness: 67.5%
- Bonding with a new child: 64.4%
- Domestic or sexual violence-related needs: 61.3%
- None of the above: 6.9%

## Methodology

- Mode: Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
- Population: US adults age 18+
- Field dates: 2026-03-06 → 2026-03-16
- Base (unweighted): 1,000
- Margin of error: +/- 3.5%
- Module: Module 2: Economics, Work, & Policy
- Sponsor: Verasight
- Weight variable: weight
- Weighting targets: age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status

## Source

- Canonical question URL: [https://reports.verasight.io/r/omnibus-2026-044#q-2-18](https://reports.verasight.io/r/omnibus-2026-044#q-2-18)

## Citation

Verasight Client Omnibus Survey #2026-044, fielded March 6-16, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.5%.

Canonical question URL: [https://reports.verasight.io/r/omnibus-2026-044#q-2-18](https://reports.verasight.io/r/omnibus-2026-044#q-2-18)