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Public Policy Polling survey commissioned by Planned Parenthood Sample size and margin of error: o 1,085 registered voters were polled Feb. 3-5 by automated phone calls. The margin of error is +/- 3 percent with a level of confidence of 95 percent. o 359 Catholic voters were surveyed, as an oversample. The margin of error is +/ - 5.2 percent and confidence level is 95 percent. Catholic Republican Voters: 133 (approx.) 132.83 exact | 37 percent of the 359 Catholic voters surveyed Catholic Democratic Voters: 37 percent: 133 (approx) 132.83 exact Catholic Independent Voters: 26 percent: 93 (approx) 93.34 exact Questionnaire wording:
The first question asked in the survey: A new law requires health plans to fully cover preventive health care services with no out of pocket fees such as co- pays for these services. It was recently announced that prescription birth control would be included under this policy. Do you support or oppose the decision to require health plans to cover prescription birth control with no additional out of pocket fees? The second question: Some people say that institutions such as Catholic hospitals and universities should be exempted from the requirement that health plans cover prescription birth control with no additional out of pocket costs, because contraception runs counter to Catholic teachings. Other people say that women of all faiths who are employed by Catholic hospitals and universities should have the same rights to contraceptive coverage as other women. Which view do you agree with -- Catholic hospitals and universities should be exempted from covering prescription birth control, or that women who are employed by Catholic hospitals and universities should have the same rights to contraceptive coverage as other women?
II. The PRRI Religion and Politics Tracking Poll, conducted by Public Religion Research Institute Sample size and margin of error: o 1,009 random adults 18+ were questioned Feb. 1-5 by professional interviewers. The margin of error is +/- 3.5 percentage points at the 95 percent level of confidence (from press release) o 219 Catholics were questioned within that overall sample. The margin of error is +/- 6.5 percentage points at 95 percent level of confidence o 168 Catholic voters were questioned within that overall sample. The margin of error is +/- 7.5 percentage points at 95 percent level of confidence
Questionnaire wording:
d. All employers should be required to provide their employees with health care plans that cover contraception or birth control at no cost: Completely agree, mostly agree, mostly disagree, completely disagree, dont know, refused. There is currently a debate over what kinds of health care plans some religious organizations should be required to provide. Do you think [INSERT; RANDOMIZE] should be required to provide their employees with health care plans that cover contraception or birth control at no cost, or not? What about [INSERT]? a. Religiously affiliated colleges and hospitals: Yes, should have to provide; no, should not have to provide; dont know; refused. b. Churches and other places of worship: Yes, should have to provide; no, should not have to provide; dont know; refused. To see full questionnaire and notes on methodology, click here. III. Countering Conventional Wisdom: New Evidence on Religion and Contraceptive Use, a report by the Guttmacher Institute The Guttmacher institutes study was based entirely on data from the 2006-2008 National Survey of Family Growth (NFG) by the National Center of Health Statistics within the Center for Disease Control. The National Survey of Family Growth provides national estimates on contraception use, pregnancy and family life. According to Guttmacher researcher Rachel Jones, who wrote the Guttmacher report, the CDC has carried out this survey since 1973 and, since 1973, the interviewers have asked the same kinds of questions in order to achieve consistency over time. The facts: 7,356 women interviewed one-on-one in a nationally representative sample o 83 percent offered a religious affiliation and 25 percent of those women identified themselves as Catholic. o About 1,526 women in the study were Catholic.
* Statistic acquired through personal correspondence with Guttmacher researcher Rachel Jones.
Questionnaire wording:
The interviewer asked about 22 forms of contraception and recorded each form of contraception used by the participant. The interviewer asked about the first 11, most common methods individually. For the rest of the 22 methods, the interviewer handed the participant a card with the last 11 more rarely-used methods written on the card. The interviewer then asked the participant to identify which, if any, of the methods she had ever used. The interviewer recorded and checked each response. The methods identified in the questionnaire were the following: Pill, condom, vasectomy, Depo-Provera, Lunelle, withdrawal, rhythm, temperature safe, morning-after pill, patch, ring, Hormonal implant (Norplant or Implanon), Diaphragm, Female condom, vaginal pouch, Foam, Jelly or cream, Cervical cap, Suppository, insert, Today sponge, IUD, coil or loop, and other method (NOTE: only 0.8 percent of all women reported other method).
Excerpts from the questionnaire are reprinted below. To see the full questionnaire, click here.
Card 30 lists methods that some people use to prevent pregnancy or to prevent sexually transmitted disease. As I read a method from the list, please tell me if you have ever used it for any reason. Just give me a "yes" or "no" answer. Please answer yes even if you have only used the method once. [SHOW CARD 30] PILL EA-1. Have you ever used birth control pills? If R volunteers she never used a method, probe to make sure R has read the entire card and is sure of her answer. (This is repeated after each of the following questions in the actual questionnaire). Yes.............................1 No..............................5 CONDOM EA-2. Have you ever used condoms or rubbers with a partner? Yes.............................1 No..............................5 VASECTMY EA-3. Have you ever had sex with a partner who had a vasectomy? Yes.............................1 No..............................5 R has stated that she's never had sex with a partner who had a vasectomy, but earlier she stated that her current husband/partner is surgically sterile. Verify with R that this is correct.
DEPO-PROVERA EA-4. (Have you ever used) Depo-Provera or injectables (or shots)? Yes.............................1 No..............................5 LUNELLE EA-5. (Have you ever used) Lunelle, a once-a-month injection? Yes.............................1 No..............................5 WITHDRAWAL EA-6. Have you ever had sex with a partner who used withdrawal or "pulling out"? Yes.............................1 No..............................5 RHYTHM (NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING) EA-7. Have you ever used rhythm or safe period by calendar to prevent pregnancy? Yes.............................1 No..............................5 TEMPSAFE (NATRUAL FAMILY PLANNING) EA-8. (Have you ever used) Natural family planning or safe period by temperature or cervical mucus test to prevent pregnancy? Yes.............................1 No..............................5 PATCH EA-9. (Have you ever used) The contraceptive patch? Yes.............................1 No..............................5 RING EA-10. (Have you ever used) The vaginal contraceptive ring (or NuvaRing)? Yes.............................1
No..............................5 MORNING AFTER PILL EA-11. (Have you ever used) "Morning after" pills or Emergency Contraception? ary: This is a series of regular birth control pills taken within 72 hours after unprotected sex to help a woman avoid pregnancy. It is also called Plan B or Preven. Yes.............................1 No..............................5 EA-12. How many different times have you used emergency contraception? EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION EA-13. Did you use emergency contraception because you were worried you birth control method would not work, you didnt use birth control that time, or for some other reason? You were worried your birth control method would not work.................................1 You didnt use birth control that time.....2 Some other reason..3 OTHER METHODS EA-14. On the right side of Card 30 is a list of some other methods of birth control. Which, if any, of the methods listed on that side of the card have you ever used? Please tell me the method even if you have only used it once. ENTER all that apply Hormonal implant (Norplant or Implanon)..9 Diaphragm..................................12 Female condom, vaginal pouch...............13 Foam.......................................14 Jelly or cream.............................15 Cervical cap...............................16 Suppository, insert........................17 Today sponge..............................18 IUD, coil, loop............................19 Other method -- specify....................21
No other methods ever used.................95 Edit check: ""None"" cannot be used in conjunction with any other answer choices. Verify R's answers and reenter.
A participant was included in the data on current contraceptive use if she responded No to all of the following: o o o o -You are currently pregnant or post-partum -You are trying to get pregnant -You have never had intercourse or have not had intercourse in the last 3 months before the interview -You interviewee or their partner is sterileeither no surgically or surgically noncontraceptive reasons.
Questionnaire wording:
The interviewer asked the women to identify on a contraceptive calendar the birth control methods she had used during a specific time period before the interview. For the statistic above, they measured the last three months. The exact wording of the questionnaire is as follows:
I need to find out about the birth control methods you used each month between (date) and (date of interview). Remember to include methods men use -- such as condoms, vasectomy, and withdrawal -- in your answer.
Looking at the methods on Card 37, please write the methods you used each month on the calendar. I need to know about all the methods you used, so if you used more than one method in a month, please record all the methods you used that month. To do this, on the Birth Control Methods row, write the name of the method in each month that you used a method, going back to You can use an abbreviation for the method if you wish. Mark method history start and end dates on calendar for R.
The methods: No method used ..........................................1 [EMPTY (IF JAN)/Same as previous month] .................2 Birth control pills .....................................3 Condom ..................................................4 Partner's vasectomy .....................................5 Female sterilizing operation, such as tubal sterilization and hysterectomy ..........................6 Withdrawal, pulling out .................................7 Depo-Provera, injectables ...............................8 Hormonal implant (Norplant or Implanon)...............9 Rhythm or safe period by calendar ......................10 Safe period by temperature or cervical mucus test, natural family planning ........................11 Diaphragm ..............................................12 Female condom, vaginal pouch ...........................13 Foam ...................................................14 Jelly or cream .........................................15 Cervical cap ...........................................16 Suppository, insert ....................................17 Today sponge ..........................................18 IUD, coil, loop ........................................19 "Morning after" pills or emergency contraception .......20 Other method -- specify ...............................21
Respondent sterile .....................................22 Respondents partner sterile ...........................23 Lunelle injectable (monthly shot .......................24 Contraceptive patch ....................................25 Vaginal contraceptive ring .............................26
IV. Public Divided Over Birth Control Insurance Mandate by Pew Research Center Sample size and margin of error: o The sample for all Catholics was 337. The margin of error for this sample was +/- 6.5 percentage points. o The sample size for all Catholics who had heard about the federal rule was 236. The margin of error for this sample was +/- 7.5 percentage points. Questionnaire wording:
Below are the relevant questions from the Pew Research Center survey. For the full questionnaire, click here. How much, if anything, have you heard about a proposed federal requirement that religiouslyaffiliated hospitals and colleges, along with nearly all other employers, cover contraceptives in their employee health care benefits, even if the use of contraceptives conflicts with the religious position of these institutions? Have you heard a lot, a little, or nothing at all about this? Responses: A lot, a little, nothing at all, dont know/refused Should religiously-affiliated institutions that object to the use of contraceptives be given an exemption from this rule, or should they be required to cover contraceptives like other employers? Responses: Should be given an exemption, should be required to cover, other, dont know/refused or heard nothing