title: Public opinion on sex education in US schools.
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.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  July 2005 through January 2006.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomly selected nationally representative sample of US adults aged 18 to 83 years (N = 1096).
  
  
  METHODS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Annenberg Public Policy Center, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, 3620 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. ableakley@asc.upenn.edu
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bleakley
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hennessy
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fishbein
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001290:Attitude; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011639:Public Opinion; D011640:Public Policy; D012067:Religion; D012736:Sex Education / Q000191:economics; D012746:Sexual Abstinence / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States