Public Opinion about a Child Support Assurance System

The state of Wisconsin has begun implementing a new child support assurance system based on three innovations: (1) establishing support obligations equal to a proportion of the obligor's gross income; (2) automatically withholding support obligations from earnings; and (3) guaranteeing that eligible children receive no less than a publicly assured minimum benefit. Public support for these provisions was examined using the responses of a representative sample of Wisconsin's citizens to a series of vignettes. The results of the survey suggest that the public generally supports the new Wisconsin approach for setting child support obligations, although there is support for reducing the award if the custodial parent either remarries or has substantial earnings. Respondents also evidenced moderate support for automatically withholding obligations from earnings and considerable support for the guaranteed child support payment provision of the reform.