RT Journal
A1 Bleakley A, Hennessy M, Fishbein M
T1 PUblic opinion on sex education in us schools
JF Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
JO Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
YR 2006
FD November 1
VO 160
IS 11
SP 1151
OP 1156
DO 10.1001/archpedi.160.11.1151
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archpedi.160.11.1151
AB 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.