Gonzales RM&S

Research & Communications, Inc

 

Maryland Poll

July/August 2000

 

 

Planned Parenthood of Maryland, Inc.

Emergency Contraception Survey

 

 

 

Methodology

 

This poll was commissioned by Planned Parenthood of Maryland in order to assess the attitudes and opinions of Maryland citizens regarding sexuality and their knowledge of, access to, and use of contraception generally, and emergency contraception specifically.

 

A total of 657 Maryland residents 18 years of age and older were interviewed by telephone between June 20th and July 3rd, 2000.  Respondents were selected at random and balanced by region to reflect population patterns in the state.

 

The margin of error, according to customary statistical standards, is no more than plus or minus 4 percentage points for the entire sample.  This means at a 95 percent confidence level the “true” figures would fall within this range if the total survey universe (all Maryland residents 18 or older) were sampled.  The margin is higher for any demographic subgroup of the sample, such as age, gender or region.

 

This survey also includes an over-sampling of 311 Maryland women between the ages of 18 and 44.  The margin of error for this over-sample is plus or minus 6 percent.

 

 

 

 

Planned Parenthood of Maryland

Statewide Survey Results

 

 

 

QUESTION:    Have you ever heard of emergency contraception?

 

                        Yes                  39%                

No                   61%                

 

 

QUESTION:    Have you ever heard of morning-after pills?

 

                        Yes                  83%                

No                   17%                

 

 

QUESTION:    To the best of your knowledge, how do emergency contraception or morning-after pills work? 

 

Prevents pregnancy from occurring     32%

Causes abortion                                   14%

Other answer                                       20%

No answer                                           33%

 

 

QUESTION:    To the best of your knowledge, how soon does emergency contraception or morning-after pills have to be taken to be effective:  immediately after intercourse, within 12 hours, within 24 hours, within 72 hours, or within one week of intercourse?

 

Immediately after intercourse              8%

Within 12 hours                                   15%

Within 24 hours                                   36%

Within 72 hours                                   10%

Within one week                                 3%

No answer                                           29%

 

QUESTION:    How effective do you think emergency contraception pills are at preventing pregnancy:  Very effective, somewhat effective, somewhat ineffective, or very ineffective?

 

Very effective                          26%

Somewhat effective                 32%

Somewhat ineffective              1%

Very ineffective                       2%

No answer                               41%

 

QUESTION:    To the best of your knowledge, are emergency contraception or morning-after pills legally available in the United States?

 

                        Yes                  36%                

No                   30%                

No answer       34%

 

 

 

QUESTION:    To the best of your knowledge, can a woman buy emergency contraception or morning after pills over the counter or would she need a prescription?

 

Over-the-counter         3%

Prescription                 80%

No answer                   18%

 

 

 

QUESTION:    Are you aware that there is a toll-free national Emergency Contraception
hotline?

                        Yes                  13%                

No                   87%                

 

 

 

QUESTION: (OF THOSE AWARE)  Do you know what this toll-free number is?

        Correctly says 888-Not2Late      12%
        Other/ No answer                        88%

 

 

QUESTION:    How safe do you think birth control pills are for most women:  Very safe, somewhat safe, somewhat unsafe, or very unsafe?

 

Very safe                     40%

Somewhat safe            44%

Somewhat unsafe         10%

Very unsafe                 1%

No answer                   6%

 

 

QUESTION:    Emergency contraception pills are higher doses of birth control pills that can be taken after unprotected sex to prevent ovulation, fertilization, or implantation of a fertilized egg.   If you had unprotected sex and were worried that you or your partner might be pregnant, how likely would you be to take emergency contraception pills or suggest that your partner take them?

 

Very likely                              32%

Somewhat likely                      12%

Somewhat unlikely                  11%

Very unlikely                           28%

No answer                               16%

 

 

 

QUESTION:    Emergency contraception pills must be taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex in order to be effective.  Could you or your partner arrange to see a medical professional within 72 hours of unprotected sex to get a prescription if necessary?

 

                        Yes                  71%                

No                   15%                

No answer       14%

 

 

 

QUESTION:    If you had a pack of emergency contraception pills on hand at home so you didn’t need to see a doctor within 72 hours, would you or your partner be more likely to take the pills, less likely, or would having the pills available at home make no difference to you?

 

More likely    41%    

Less likely       7%      

No difference 36%        

No answer       16%

 

 

 

Emergency Contraception Survey Analysis

 

Awareness of EC

 

Thirty-nine percent of survey respondents said that they had heard of “emergency contraception,” but a far greater number, 83%, indicated that they were familiar with the old term of art, “morning-after pills.”

 

The term “emergency contraception” was familiar to 47% of women surveyed, and to 60% of women of reproductive age, but to only 30% of the men.   Young Marylanders aged 18 to 34 (70%) were the most aware, along with those who are divorced or separated (64%). 

 

The term “morning-after pill” is widely recognized, and there are few differences in its familiarly among the demographic subgroups in the survey.   While the rate of familiarity among all age groups is high, it is not as high with younger respondents aged 18 to 24 (72%) or 25 to 34 (73%) as it is with older survey subjects.

 

 

How EC Works

 

The next series of questions were asked only of the 83% of respondents who said that they had, indeed, heard of EC or morning-after pills.  When asked if they knew how EC or morning-after pills worked, just under one third (32%) correctly answered that they prevent pregnancy from occurring.  Fourteen percent said that EC pills cause an abortion, and 20% gave some other incorrect answer.  Another third (33%) gave no answer at all.

 

Women (40%) were considerably more likely to get the answer “right” than men (23%), while men (43%) were far more likely to give no answer than women (26%).  Nearly equal numbers, however, (34% of men and 35% of women) gave an incorrect answer. 

 

Unfortunately, women of reproductive age (age 18 to 44) were no more likely than respondents overall to know the “correct” answer.  Thirty-three percent correctly stated that EC prevents pregnancy from occurring, 16% said it causes an abortion, and 32% gave some other answer.  The remaining 19% offered no response.

 

 

When To Take EC

 

When those familiar with EC were asked how soon after intercourse it had to be taken to be effective, just 10% gave the correct answer – within 72 hours.  The rest gave a variety of incorrect responses or admitted they did not know.  The answer given by a plurality (36%) of respondents was within 24 hours, followed by 15% who said it had to be taken with 12 hours, 8% who thought EC pills had to be taken immediately after sex and, at the other end of the spectrum, 3% who thought they had a week to act.  The remaining 29% offered no answer.

 

Women (16%) were five times more likely than men (3%) to have given the correct answer.  Women of reproductive age (23%) had the highest “correct” score, but even three quarters of those in that group gave an incorrect answer or no answer at all. 

 

 

Effectiveness of EC

 

When asked how effective EC pills are at preventing pregnancy, 26% said they were “very effective” and 32% said they were “somewhat effective.”  Tiny percentages thought that EC pills were “somewhat ineffective” (1%) or “very ineffective” (2%).  But a large percentage – 41% -- offered no answer to the question.

 

Men (49%) were more likely to have given “no answer” to this question than women (34%), and were less likely (18%) to believe that EC was “very effective” than women (32%). 

 

 

Legality of EC

 

Of the 83% who said they have heard of EC, just 36% said that EC is legal in the United States, perhaps the best evidence yet that EC is being confused with RU-486.  Thirty percent said that EC is not legal in the US, while the remaining 34% gave no answer.

 

Younger respondents aged 18 to 24 (75%) and those with the lowest incomes (72%) were the most likely to know that EC is, indeed, legal in the United States.  Single (43%) and divorced respondents (43%) were more likely to be well informed on this issue than their married counterparts (33%).  Men (31%) were less likely to know that EC was legal than women (39%).   Women of reproductive age (42%) were only marginally better educated.

 

Eighty percent of respondents said that a woman would have to have a prescription to obtain EC pills, while 3% thought they could be purchased over-the-counter.  The remaining 18% gave no answer.

 

 

EC Hotline

 

Just 13% of those familiar with EC or morning-after pills said they were aware that there is a national toll-free EC hotline.  Of this 13%, just 12% could correctly name the EC hotline phone number, 888-Not2Late, and all were women.

 

Women (18%) were more likely to be familiar with the hotline than men (8%).  Among the survey’s age breakdowns, the youngest respondents aged 18 to 24 were the most likely to have heard about the hotline (36%); among income breakdowns, it is those with the lowest household incomes, less than $20,000, who were most likely to have heard of the hotline (44%). 


 

 

Birth Control Pills

 

Birth control pills are widely believed by Marylanders surveyed to be safe.  Forty-percent said they were “very safe,” 44% said they were “somewhat safe,” 10% thought they were “somewhat unsafe,” and 1% believed them to be “very unsafe.”  The remaining 6% offered no answer. 

 

Women (48%) are far more likely than men (30%) to say that birth control pills are “very safe,” and blacks (47%) are more likely to believe that birth control pills are “very safe” than whites (37%).  Least likely among the age breakdown to believe that birth control pills are “very safe” are respondents aged 18 to 24 (24%).  The responses of women of reproductive age are very close to those of women overall.

 

 

Likelihood of Using EC

 

In the first EC question asked of all survey respondents, information about what EC is and how is works is imparted.  Respondents are then asked how likely they would be to use EC after unprotected sex, or recommend its use to their partner.  Thirty-two percent said they would be very likely to use or recommend EC, 12% somewhat likely, 11% somewhat unlikely, and 28% very unlikely to use or recommend EC.  The remaining 16% offered no answer.

 

Women (38%), more than men (26%) responded that they would be “very likely” to use EC (or suggest its use).   The figure is lower for women of reproductive age, with 30% saying they would be “very likely” to use or recommend EC.   

 

 

Obtaining EC

 

When told that EC pills had to be used with 72 hours of unprotected sex, 71% indicated that they or their partner could arrange to see a medical professional in the allotted time, while 15% could not.  The remaining 14% gave no answer.  Women of reproductive age (81%) indicated they would have even less trouble.

 

When asked if they would be more or less likely to use EC pills if they had a pack on hand at home, 41% said they would be more likely to use EC, 7% said they would be less likely to use it, and 36% said a pack on hand would make no difference to them.  The remaining 16% offered no answer. 

 

Conclusion

 

In a nutshell, there’s a lot of misinformation out there about emergency contraception. Comparatively few are familiar with the new, and preferred, term.  On the other hand, most respondents had heard of the “morning-after pill,” but few knew how it works, when to take it, or even whether or not it is legal in this country – and these numbers are no better for women of reproductive age than for the sample at large.  Though it was not specifically asked in the survey, it is evident that the controversy over RU-486 has caused considerable confusion among the masses.

 

Some of the best-informed respondents were the youngest and poorest, indicating to us that clinics are probably doing a better job of getting the word out than traditional medical providers.  Still, most respondents said they had first heard about EC via the mass media, and that will probably the best way to deliver Planned Parenthood’s future messages.