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Produced for LMC-TVbyFran Snedeker |
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Produced for LMC-TVbyFran Snedeker |
Survey Affirms Support for Comprehensive School ProgramsDriven by new concerns over teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and other STDs, sexuality education enjoys an unprecedented level of support, according to a new survey by Advocates for Youth and the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States. Ninety-three percent of adults support sexuality education in high school, while 84% support it in middle schools. More than 70% of respondents support the teaching of puberty, abstinence and prevention of STDs to students in grade seven and higher. Over 50% support teaching about contraception and sexual orientation, and 40% support teaching students about abortion at that age. For students in grades 11 and 12, support for all of the above topics, save sexual orientation and abortion, was above 90%. Sixty-three percent said exploring one's sexuality is "a natural part of growing up and that the best approach is to provide information to help young people act responsibly," while 24% agreed that young people "exploring their sexuality is wrong, and that the best approach is to set out clear limits of acceptable behavior before marriage." When given two alternatives, 84% of respondents said young people "should be given information to protect themselves from unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases," while 10% agreed that "telling young people about birth control and sexually transmitted diseases only encourages them to have sex." Finally, although 90% support abstinence as a topic to be included in sex education, 70% oppose the federal law that allocates funds for abstinence-only programs, and 69% agree that teaching abstinence until marriage "is just not realistic." SIECUS President Debra Haffner said, "This poll affirms that parents want schools as their partners in the sexuality education of their children. Parents want their children to be taught about abstinence, but only in conjunction with a wide range of sexuality education issues." James Wagoner, president of Advocates for Youth, added, "Parents get it -- ignorance is nobody's ally in the age of AIDS. American parents don't see any opposition between sexuality education and that includes information about contraception and abstinence. For them, it is not an either/or equation. They want both." The national poll of 1,050 adults, conducted by Hickman-Brown Research Inc. during February and March, has a margin of error of +/- 3% (release, 6/2).
A Harris Poll released today shows that when asked whether certain statements are true or not, only 40% of adults knew that teen pregnancy rates are lower today than at any time since 1986, while 54% said the statement was false. Coupled with other positive trends that people don't realize, Harris opines that a "nightly diet of crime and other bad news on local TV has created a badly misinformed public," as most people get their news from local TV. Those who obtain news from national TV or newspapers are consistently better informed. The poll of 1,010 adults was conducted May 14-19 and has a margin of error of +/- 3% (release, 6/2).