Source
Annenberg
Public Policy Center, Annenberg School for Communication, University of
Pennsylvania, 3620 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
ableakley@asc.upenn.edu
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
To
examine US public opinion on sex education in schools to determine how
the public's preferences align with those of policymakers and research
scientists.
DESIGN:
Cross-sectional survey.
SETTING:
July 2005 through January 2006.
PARTICIPANTS:
Randomly selected nationally representative sample of US adults aged 18 to 83 years (N = 1096).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
Support for 3 different types of sex education in schools: abstinence only, comprehensive sex education, and condom instruction.
RESULTS:
Approximately
82% of respondents indicated support for programs that teach students
about both abstinence and other methods of preventing pregnancy and
sexually transmitted diseases. Similarly, 68.5% supported teaching how
to properly use condoms. Abstinence-only education programs, in
contrast, received the lowest levels of support (36%) and the highest
level of opposition (about 50%) across the 3 program options.
Self-identified conservative, liberal, and moderate respondents all
supported abstinence-plus programs, although the extent of support
varied significantly.
CONCLUSIONS:
Our results indicate
that US adults, regardless of political ideology, favor a more balanced
approach to sex education compared with the abstinence-only programs
funded by the federal government. In summary, abstinence-only programs,
while a priority of the federal government, are supported by neither a
majority of the public nor the scientific community.
0 comments:
Post a Comment