Americans, left and right, are against sex ed for kids under 10

 

According to a new Harris poll, 86% of Republicans and even 60% of Democrats believe sex education for young children under 10 should be left to the parents. This is a winning issue for the GOP even if most parents feel their personal rights are not being violated (left panel). 

Sex education, birth control, and sex: What's the relationship between sex education and behavior? The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health asked 6,411 teens in 1994 if: 1) they had learned about pregnancy in school, 2) they've had sex, and 3) they used birth control the first time.


Percent who have had sex

Taught about pregnancy in school 41.0
Not taught 33.7


Percent who used protection the first time

Taught about pregnancy in school 67.4
Not taught 57.9


Percent who have had sex and did it unprotected the first time

Taught about pregnancy in school 13.4
Not taught 14.2


Looking at the top numbers, those taught about pregnancy in school were more likely to have sex. They were also more likely to use protection the first time. The two patterns basically offset each other: the bottom numbers show us that the percent of kids who have had sex and did it with no birth control is roughly the same for the two groups.