Having conducted a series of successful, qualitative bulletin board sessions and dial groups, a telephone survey was designed and implemented to test the findings from the qualitative research among a broader, more robust audience. Harris Interactive conducted the study of 1,001 US voting adults over the age of 18 between July 6 and July 12, 2006. These findings were validated in subsequent polling conducted in November 2006 and May 2007.

Key Findings:

The positioning voters most agree with and are most relevant to them include:

• On comprehensive sex education, schools can do a good job, probably better than most parents on the biological and scientific aspects of sex education, but it is a parent’s job to provide the moral and ethical guidance. (86% agree)
• We need to respect people’s ability to make their own life decisions and not impose our values and views upon them. (83% agree)
• The current political debate focuses on abortion. But there is a much broader discussion that needs to happen that includes issues such as birth control, emergency contraception, comprehensive sex education, stem cell research, end of life decisions, and the HPV vaccine, that are just as important. (81%)
• I may have one position on birth control, another on abortion and still a third on end of life. Others have their own opinions which may be different than mine. We should each appreciate and respect our individual opinions. Sometimes, we just must agree to disagree. (81% agree)
• For teenagers, prevention starts with comprehensive sex education including abstinence. But, if we are serious about wanting to decrease unintended pregnancies, we also need to make sure birth control is widely available and accessible. (76% agree)

For more information, contact info@ccmc.org.