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Click here to view the NEF/Roper Poll 2006 results and discussion as a PDF file.
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A new poll commissioned by the Naturist Education Foundation (NEF) tests the responses of Americans to questions about nudity. The independent survey, which was
conducted for NEF by the prestigious polling firm of Roper Public Affairs, updates previous surveys and adds a new question.
In 1983, The Naturist Society (TNS) commissioned an independent Gallup Poll of the attitudes of Americans concerning skinny-dipping and nude sunbathing. The encouraging results were used for years as evidence of the acceptance of naturist activities in the U.S.
NEF, the nonprofit educational and informational adjunct to The Naturist Society, updated the poll in 2000 when it commissioned Roper Starch to ask the same three questions in a nationwide survey. Since 2005, Roper has been a unit of GfK NOP, LLC, an international research business.
The 2006 NEF/Roper Poll indicates continued high levels of acceptance for nude sunbathing, with close to three-quarters of the survey sample expressing support for hassle-free nude sunbathing at a beach that is accepted for that purpose.
Personal participation in skinny-dipping has remained consistent at a quarter of the population. Only adults were surveyed, and the present adult population of the U.S. is approximately 220 million. The projected number of American adults who have personally taken part in skinny-dipping or nude sunbathing is an astounding 55 million!
Of course, naturism is a family-friendly activity that's often a way of life. Although the survey was limited to adults, naturist activities are not. Naturist parents frequently include their children in wholesome and traditional activities like skinny-dipping that simply don't require the participants to be clothed.
Perhaps the poll's most encouraging response was to the question that asked about designating public land for nude use. A clear majority of those surveyed, 54 percent, agreed that governments should specifically meet the needs of those who enjoy nude sunbathing by setting aside public land for that purpose.
In addition to the questions that had appeared as part of the polls in 1983 and 2000, the Naturist Education Foundation posed a new public opinion question in 2006. The question asked whether people should be able to be nude in their own backyards, even if they might be visible to others.
The purpose of this question was simply to establish a baseline, a starting place for measuring progress. The result was surprising. Twenty-four percent of those surveyed believe that people should be able to be nude in their backyards without interference, even if they may be visible to others.
The 2006 NEF/Roper Poll is just one of the NEF projects made possible by the generous voluntary support of the naturist community. For more information on the 2006 NEF/Roper Poll and other NEF projects, visit the Web site of the Naturist Education Foundation:
www.naturisteducation.org
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QUESTION number 1
Do you
believe that people who enjoy nude sunbathing should be able to do so without interference from local officials as long as they do so at a beach that is accepted for that purpose?
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Sustained Support for Nude Sunbathing
Few American adults object to nude sunbathing that takes place on beaches in
designated areas. The conditional acceptance of nude sunbathing measured in 2006 verifies the results from 1983 and 2000, with close to three-quarters of American adults agreeing that it should be allowed without
interference from officials.
The slight dropoff from the level of the 2000 NEF/Roper Poll could be real, or it could be attributed to cumulative sampling error. In any case, those interpreting the results must not lose sight of the fact that the sustained overwhelming level of support comes at a time in which American society is far more divided on other issues.
- ADDITIONAL DETAIL: With an 84% approval, those on the West Coast are most likely to support nude sunbathing. Even in the South, the region of least support, approval was still high; 69% there answered yes. Note 1.
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QUESTION number 2
Local and state governments now set aside public land for special types of recreation such as snowmobiling, surfing and hunting. Do
you think special and secluded areas should be set aside for people who enjoy nude sunbathing?
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A Clear Majority Now Favors Designation
of Clothing-Optional Areas
The 2006 NEF/Roper Poll indicates that the idea
of setting aside areas for nude sunbathing now enjoys clear majority support among Americans. Public approval for the idea has clearly been building over the years, but governmental agencies have been slow to
respond to the emerging demand. Agencies and public land managers must reevaluate their policies toward the designation of public land for people who enjoy nude sunbathing.
Notable successes already exist
where agencies have responded positively to this increasing demand. Among its positive efforts to manage for nude recreation, the National Park Service counts recognized clothing-optional areas at the Gateway
National Recreation Area in New Jersey and at Canaveral National Seashore in Florida. At the state level, Oregon has designated a portion of Rooster Rock State Parks as clothing-optional, and Collins Beach on Sauvie
Island has official clothing-optional signage supplied by the State Department of Fish & Wildlife. Miami-Dade County in Florida has shown vision and has reaped economic rewards by setting aside a portion of
Haulover Beach for clothing-optional use.
- ADDITIONAL DETAIL: Those who are under 35 are the most accepting group when it comes to designating areas for nude sunbathing. Sixty-five percent of that cohort favor designation. Note 1.
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QUESTION number 3
Have you, personally, ever gone "skinny dipping" or nude sunbathing in a mixed group of men and women at a beach, at a pool, or
somewhere else?
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More than 55 Million Skinny-dippers?
The level of those who say they have gone skinny-dipping or nude sunbathing
remains at one of every four American adults. That's over 55 million.
- ADDITIONAL DETAIL: Nearly a third (32%) of the under-35 crowd have gone skinny-dipping or nude sunbathing. Note 1.
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