Despite the current government's monetary support of abstinence-only sex education programs, the public still wants students to learn how to put a condom on a banana.
Studies show that 82 percent of adults in the nation support a sex education program that teaches abstinence and ways to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases by use of contraceptives, said Amy Bleakley, research scientist at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center. The study showed half of adults oppose an abstinence-only education, she said.
The study shows that the U.S. government's support for abstinence-only education doesn't coincide with the wide-range of public opinion for a comprehensive sex education, Bleakley said. She said the government gives about $170 million each year to schools and community groups that support an abstinence-only education that does not teach about the use of contraceptives, unless it is to make a point of their failure rate.
"We're hoping [the study] will [cause a change], but there are no guarantees," she said.
The Annenberg National Health Communication Survey, which consisted of 1,096 American adults aged 18 to 83, was conducted from July 2005 to January 2006. Bleakley said the survey asked about what type of sex education they supported: abstinence-only, comprehensive or comprehensive with condom instruction.
The results showed people from different political backgrounds and religious groups all preferred a comprehensive sex education and believed it to be an effective method of preventing pregnancies or sexually transmitted diseases, she said.
"Overall 82 percent in the population found liberals, moderates and conservatives all supported sex education. It was just the extent of support," she said.
About 70 percent of conservatives, 92 percent of liberals and 86 percent of moderates support comprehensive or abstinence-plus sex education, Bleakley said.
The researchers also found that 36 percent of people supported abstinence-only programs and 68 percent of people supported condom instruction, which is considered the most liberal type of sex education, she said.
"What's also interesting was the group that supported abstinence-only programs as much as they supported abstinence-plus was the group that went [to church] more than once a week," Bleakley said.
Among those who attended religious services more than once a week, the percentage of those who supported abstinence-only programs and the percentage of those who supported abstinence-plus programs were equal. The survey did not look at what specific religion people were, only how many times a week they attended church, she said.
But Todd Taylor, College Republicans chairman, said he doesn't think abstinence-only education is relegated to the religious.
"People think it's all this Christian stuff, but abstinence is the only way that you're not going to get someone pregnant or an STD," Taylor said.
He said although he agrees with the majority of Americans, he believes abstinence education should not be done away with completely, as some political parties are advocating.
Eliot Schmidt, spokesman for the College Democrats, said although he believes abstinence education is important, he said it might not be practical.
"In today's culture, it's not as realistic as it once was," Schmidt said.
