Large Majorities Support More Access to Birth Control Information, and Agree that it is a Good Way to Prevent Abortions

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – June 22, 2006 – A new Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Health-Care Poll finds that large majorities of U.S. adults tend to agree that people should have more access to information about birth control and that birth control is a good way to prevent abortions. Interestingly, Catholics appear to be on the same page as the general public in regards to these issues. The survey also explores American’s perception of how the United States compares to Europe when it comes to unplanned pregnancies and access to birth control.

These are some of the results of a Harris Interactive^® online survey of 2,689 U.S. adults conducted between June 9 and 13, 2006 for The Wall Street Journal Online’s Health Industry Edition.

According to the poll, almost half (47%) of all adults think the percentage of unplanned U.S. pregnancies is higher compared to European countries like England, France and Germany, while 30 percent say it is about the same, and only seven percent think this percentage is lower. However, when asked how the U.S.’s access to birth control measures up to European’s, about six in 10 said the U.S.’ access to it is about the same (29%) or better (29%).

Most adults tend to agree that people should have more access to information about birth control options (89%), and that providing people with access to birth control is a good way to prevent abortions (81%). Furthermore:

• Majorities tend to agree that access to birth control should not be limited by someone’s ability to pay for it (73%).
• Support for access to contraceptives by teenagers is more divided; a 46% to 41% plurality said teens should be allowed access to contraception without their parents' knowledge. Two-third of those polled agreed that abstinence is the best option for protecting teens from unwanted pregnancies, compared with 25% who disagreed.
• Over half (58%) of adults tend to agree that the "morning after pill" should be easily available in all pharmacies, while roughly a quarter (26%) agree that if a pharmacist, for moral or religious reasons, prefers not to dispense birth control, he or she should not be required to do so. Most people (62%) do not think pharmacists should have this right.

• Born-again Christians are the most likely to support abstinence to protect teens from unwanted pregnancies (89% tend to agree), and – unlike all other religious groups in the survey – are least likely to support having the "morning after pill" easily accessible in all pharmacies (only 39% tend to agree).
• The attitudes of Catholics are almost identical to those of all U.S. adults on all these issues. Unlike the Catholic hierarchy, they are strongly supportive of easily accessible information about birth control (88%) and of the availability of the "morning after pill" (53%).

Downloadable PDFs of Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Health-Care Polls are posted at http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/newsletters_wsj.asp.

Harris Interactive^® conducted this online survey within the United States between June 9 and 13, 2006 among a national cross section of 2,689 adults, ages 18 years and over. Figures for age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, income and region were weighted where necessary to align with population proportions. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All surveys are subject to several sources of error. These include: sampling error (because only a sample of a population is interviewed); measurement error due to question wording and/or question order, deliberately or unintentionally inaccurate responses, nonresponse (including refusals), interviewer effects (when live interviewers are used) and weighting.

With one exception (sampling error) the magnitude of the errors that result cannot be estimated. There is, therefore, no way to calculate a finite "margin of error" for any survey and the use of these words should be avoided.

With pure probability samples, with 100 percent response rates, it is possible to calculate the probability that the sampling error (but not other sources of error) is not greater than some number. With pure probability samples of 2,689 adults, one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the results have a sampling error of +/- 3 percentage points. Sampling error for sub-bases is higher and varies. However that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

The Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Health-Care Poll is an exclusive poll that is published in the award-winning Health Industry Edition of The Wall Street Journal Online at www.wsj.com/health.

The Wall Street Journal Online at WSJ.com, published by Dow Jones & Company (NYSE: DJ; www.dowjones.com), is the largest paid subscription news site on the Web. Launched in 1996, the Online Journal continues to attract quality subscribers that are at the top of their industries, with 761,000 subscribers world-wide as of Q1, 2006.

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About Harris Interactive^®

Harris Interactive is the 13^th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world. The company provides research-driven insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research methods. The company has built what could conceivably be the world’s largest panel of survey respondents: The Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiary Novatris in France and through a global network of independent market research firms. The service bureau, HISB, provides its market research industry clients with mixed-mode data collection, panel development services as well as syndicated and tracking research consultation. More information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at www.harrisinteractive.com.

To become a member of the Harris Poll Online, visit www.harrispollonline.com.

Jennifer Cummings
Harris Interactive
585-214-7720

Robert Christie
Dow Jones & Company
212-416-2636