A poll of registered voters in Hamilton County commissioned by Citizens for Community Values shows that 70 percent rank enforcement of obscenity laws to be of high to medium importance. That was just one of the earth-shattering results announced in a CCV press release touting the poll of 513 adults.
"Indeed, more than 6 out of 10 voters surveyed (61 percent) agreed that laws prohibiting the sale of obscene materials in Ohio protect family values as well as the overall quality of life in Hamilton County," the press release stated -- italic emphasis courtesy of CCV.
It's no surprise that CCV's straw man for everything evil -- Larry Flynt -- didn't fare well in the survey, which the press release touts as showing "an overwhelmingly negative opinion" of Flynt. Seventy percent of those surveyed said they had an "unfavorable" opinion of Flynt, and 75 percent said they'd want law enforcement to take action against his store if it were selling legally obscene materials.
CCV President Phil Burress is quoted as saying he was "particularly encouraged" that 82 percent of respondents believe that pornography can be addictive. "After 20 years of talking about the harms of pornography, the vast majority of our community realizes how destructive it can be when left unchecked," he said.
According to the actual survey questions and answers posted on CCV's Web site, what the poll really asked was, "Pornography can be addictive for some people: Agree or disagree." Since Burress has been telling people for years that his motivation for becoming a highly-paid busybody was his addiction to pornography, if you believe his story you also believe pornography can be addictive for "some people" like him.
Two-thirds of the poll respondents were age 45 and older, with 31 percent 65 and up; only 16 percent were ages 18-34. Two-thirds said they've lived "most" or "all" of their lives in Hamilton County, and 41 percent described themselves as "conservative" while 19 percent called themselves "liberal."
The survey was conducted for CCV by The Polling Company, a Washington, D.C.-based firm headed by Kellyanne Conway, a Republican Party insider who was campaign spokesperson for Dan Quayle in the 2000 presidential race.
CONTACT CCV WATCH: ccvwatch@citybeat.com
