Levels and Determinants of Attitude toward Sex Education in America

Yanyi K. Djamba, Southeastern Louisiana University

This paper examines the views of American people on the sex education in public schools through the analysis of the 2002 General Social Survey. The likelihood of being in favor of sex education in public schools was predicted in logistic regression models. The results show that the majority of respondents approved of the teaching of sex education in public schools (88% in favor versus 12% against). However, there were significant differences by respondents’ socio-demographic characteristics, with most variations observed across levels of education. Respondents with a high school degree and those with at least some college education were respectively three and four times more likely to be in favor of the teaching of sex education in public schools than those without a high school degree (odds ratios, 3, 4 versus 1), net of the effects of other variables. Nonetheless, there were also significant ideological, cultural, local, and socioeconomic differences.