Everything You always Wanted to Know About American Public Opinion (But Only "Playboy" Would Ask)

Most Public-Opinion Polls are deadly serious and quite specific. That's why, out of a sense of mischievous curiosity, we decided to commission a poll to ask the American public the sort of questions many of us discuss over cocktails, or in dormitory bull sessions, or with friends anywhere. Some questions touch on how much Americans know, the rest about what they think and feel on a variety of issues. If you've ever wondered aloud during a conversation, "How many other people do you suppose feel that way?"--well, wonder no more.

Several months ago, Market Facts, Inc., a respected research-and-opinion firm based in Chicago, agreed to conduct a nationwide poll for us that included questions that ranged from the light to the seriously provocative. It completed interviews with 999 men and women--the figure most widely accepted as a reliable cross section of the U. S. population. Its method of polling was the same as that of firms you've probably heard of--such as Gallup or Harris--and included breakdowns as to age, sex, geography, etc. At no time were the respondents told the poll was being conducted for Playboy. In fact, the only difference between this and other statistically valid polls is that the questions were thought up by a group of magazine editors, rather than statisticians.

The following are the highlights of Playboy's poll (unless significant, "Don't know" and "No opinion" answers have been omitted). Individuals or organizations desiring the full summary of demographic results may write to Playboy Reader Service for a copy, at a cost of $2.

What we believe...

Do you believe in the Biblical God?

Definitely believe .................................67%

Tend to believe ....................................19%

Tend not to believe ................................ 6%

Definitely do not believe .......................... 6%

Do you believe in the Biblical Devil?

Definitely believe .................................46%

Tend to believe ....................................18%

Tend not to believe ................................14%

Definitely do not believe ..........................20%

It's God over the Devil by 3--2.

Do you believe in psychic powers--ESP or clairvoyance?

Yes ................................................75%

(Yes, but not me) ..................................59%

(Yes, including me) ................................16%

No .................................................25%

Are you certain that the moon landings occurred?

Absolutely certain .................................75%

Fairly certain .....................................18%

Somewhat uncertain ................................. 3%

Very doubtful ...................................... 4%

And you thought only the TV game shows had been rigged.

Black and White

Do you believe white people in America are still prejudiced against blacks, and if so, what percentage of them is?

These figures can be broken down in a number of ways, but it should be noted that about two thirds of the population, both black and white, believe that 40% or more of American whites are prejudiced against blacks.

There has been much discussion of intelligence and race these past few years; without regard to causes, do you believe white people are more intelligent than black people, or vice versa, or is there any difference at all?

White Respondents: Whites more intelligent ........24%

Blacks more intelligent.........0%

No difference .................74%

Black Respondents: Whites more intelligent ........10%

Blacks more intelligent ............. 1%

No difference .......................89%

General Knowledge, General Ignorance

Who said, "to be or not to be?"

Shakespeare (Hamlet) ................46%

Don't know ......................................43%

Patrick Henry ................................... 2%

Julius Caesar ................................... 2%

John F. Kennedy ................................. 1%

Abraham Lincoln ................................. 1%

A vocabulary question: What does the term homo sapiens mean?

Human being (Correct) ......................52%

Don't know ......................................38%

Queer/homosexual/bisexual ......................3.3%

Something to do with sex ........................ 1%

Something weird or nasty ........................ 1%

A sex maniac ...................................0.2%

A flower .......................................0.1%

What do these initials stand for?

IRS Internal Revenue Service 77%

NBC National Broadcasting Company 73%

CIA Central Intelligence Agency 55%

N.B.A. National Basketball Association 49%

HEW Health, Education and Welfare 47%

S.L.A. Symbionese Liberation Army 37%

G.O.P. Grand Old Party 35%

Who was the second President of the U.S.?

John Adams (Correct) ......................39%

Don't know .....................................35%

Thomas Jefferson ...............................16%

Abraham Lincoln ................................ 4%

(continued on page 230)American Public Opinion(continued from page 137)

Who are these folks?

Love, Sex and Chauvinism

Do you personally feel that a man should feel freer to commit adultery than a woman?

By marital status: Yes, I Agree

Married ..............................22%

Single ...............................30%

By sex:

Males ................................28%

Females ..............................22%

By age:

Under 35 .............................24%

35--54 ................................21%

55 or over ...........................30%

We kind of expected the guys to be piggier than the ladies, but we were a little surprised to find that the under-35s were actually more conservative than the 35-to-55 age group. In any case, you won't be surprised to know that when we asked another related question: "Do you think it's more acceptable in American society today for men to commit adultery than women?", there was widespread agreement-over 60 percent-at all levels, male and female. The double standard still lives.

At what age should a boy lose his virginity?

Hmmmm. There appear to be some swinging daddies around. Nearly one out of five men think it's fine for a boy to lose his virginity at the age of 15 or under.

Why?

He'll be mature enough ................................37%

That's the age I lost mine ............8.4% of men; 1% of women

Should be married by then ................................13.6%

If he waits longer, may become homosexual ................ 0.3%

At what age should a girl lose her virginity?

You can look at this in one of two ways: One man out of ten thinks it's OK for a girl to be deflowered by the age of 15; and one woman out of five thinks they should be virgins at 21.

If you could make your mate more attractive or more intelligent, which would it be?

Or, as Raquel Welch once put it, a person's most erogenous zone is his or her mind.

If divorce weren't so complicated and you could easily work out the problems of finances and children, would you split up with your spouse?

No .............................................91%

Yes ................................................. 8%

There was absolutely no difference in the responses to this question between men and women; all respondents to this question were, of course, married.

What do you consider the sexiest part of your body?

Male Respondents Female Respondents

Preferences, Preferences

If you could pick a period of history you would prefer to live in, what would it be?

The present ...............................37%

The future ..................................... 4%

The past .......................................53%

Preferences for living in the past correspond to the period of childhood in each age group. For instance, the 55-and-over group shows a 15 percent preference for the period of 1930--1949, as against smaller percentages for the younger groups. But insofar as totals are concerned, the public as a whole expressed its greatest preference for the following period:

The Fifties ...................................10%

Would you prefer the national anthem to be a song other than the "Star Spangled Banner"?

No ................................................61%

Yes ....................................................34%

Of the 34 percent who preferred something else, 85 percent mentioned America the Beautiful.

Given a completely free choice, which country would you prefer to live in?

U.S.A ..........................................83%

Europe had a cumulative total of 7 percent, with no single country getting more than a 2 percent preference (Switzerland, 2 percent; Germany, England and the Scandinavian nations, 1 percent. Australia pulled 2.4 percent among male respondents. Incidentally, this contrasts with recent polls in Europe, where little more than 50 percent of the respondents said they would prefer to live in the country they actually resided in.)

Optimism, Pessimism

How likely do you think it is that World War Three will occur in the next 25 years?

Definitely will occur ..............................15%

Probably will occur ................................37%

Probably will not occur ............................34%

Definitely will not occur ..........................12%

So cheer up. Nearly one out of two Americans doesn't think the world is going to go boom in the next 25 years. Of course, one out of two does.

Whom do you Trust, Whom do you Fear?

The public-opinion sample was given a list of groups, organizations and countries and asked to rate them (on a 1--10 scale) in terms of how threatened they felt by each.

Well, the Russkies are still the bad guys in most Americans' opinion. But note, if you will, that 57 percent of us feel somewhat or very threatened by Uncle Sam's tax collectors and that lawyers and the CIA don't make us feel very secure, either.

We are not Crooks

What percentage of politicians do you think are honest in virtually all their actions?

None at all .....................................16%

Between 1 and 20% ....................................31%

Between 51 and 100% ..................................18%

(Median percentage of honest politicians ............21%)

What percentage of people in general do you think are honest in virtually all their actions?

None at all ................................... 5%

Between 1 and 20% ..................................18%

Between 51 and 100% ................................33%

(Median percentage of honest people ...............44%)

We assume you noticed that nearly a third of the country believes four out of five politicians are crooks.

Opinions, Opinions

How much do you believe the results of opinion polls?

I definitely believe them ......................16%

I somewhat believe them .............................62%

I somewhat disbelieve them ..........................12%

I definitely do not believe them .................... 9%