According to the survey, 10 percent of 6- to 9-year-olds and 35 percent of 10- to 12-year-olds are left alone after school until their working parents get home. Researchers, policymakers and child advocates said unsupervised children are at risk for injury, drug use and falling behind in studies.

According to the survey, children of more-affluent, non-minority workers tend to be left home alone after school when parents worked 9-to-5 jobs. The finding surprised some analysts, who had believed the main barrier to supervision was cost. "Self-care among school-age children is clearly a fact of life for millions of working families," said report co-author Gina Adams, an Urban Institute researcher.

The survey of working parents was conducted by researchers at the nonpartisan Urban Institute. Findings were based on a 1997 telephone survey of more than 44,000 households throughout the United States.

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