Support for Sex Education and Abstinence Education Among Arkansas State Legislators

The purpose of the study was to identify characteristics of state legislators who supported or opposed school sex education and abstinence education programs. Subjects for the study were 135 members of the Arkansas state legislature. Subjects participated in a mail survey with 73 legislators (54%) responding. Results indicated greater support among Democrats for sex education. Support for abstinence education was independent of party affiliation, but frequent churchgoers were more likely to oppose abstinence education. Support for legislation to promote the teaching of abstinence was independent of religiosity, but subjects indicating a greater degree of religiosity were less likely to think that “education related to sexuality should be limited to abstinence until marriage.” These results have implications for working with legislators on issues related to sexuality/abstinence education.