QUESTION number 1 Do you agree or disagree that people should be able to enjoy nude sunbathing on a beach or other location that is designated for that purpose? Agree 79% Disagree 16% Not Sure 6%

Very few Californians object to nude sunbathing that takes place on designated beaches or in other recognized areas. The acceptance of nude sunbathing in California is consistent with national acceptance figures in 1983 (72%), 2000 (80%) and 2006 (74%). Approximately four of every five California adults agree that clothing-optional recreation should be allowed.

• Agreement with Question 1 was high throughout the geographical areas of the state, with a notable peak of 92% in the Sacramento area.
• In San Diego County, where two long established clothing-optional beaches are located in State Parks (San Onofre State Beach and Black's Beach at Torrey Pines State Park), 78% agreed.
• Even in more conservative Orange County, approval was still high; 70% there agreed.

QUESTION number 2 Do you agree or disagree that areas should be set aside for people who enjoy clothing-optional recreation such as nude sunbathing and swimming? Agree 70% Disagree 25% Not Sure 5%

The 2009 NEF California Poll indicates that the idea of setting aside areas for nude sunbathing enjoys enormous support. National polls show that 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.

The majority of all identified racial and ethnic groups favor designation, but support is highest among African- Americans (78.4%) and Hispanics (72.4%).

Seventy-three percent of poll respondents in the San Diego area agree that CA Parks should designate clothingoptional areas in state parks. San Onofre State Beach and Torrey Pines State Park are both located in San Diego County, and both have a long history of being clothing-optional beaches.

QUESTION number 3 Do you agree or disagree that people have the right to be nude in their homes or on their property, even if they may ccasionally be visible to others? Agree 68 % Disagree 35 % Not Sure 2%

Question #3 Conclusion and Analysis:
CALIFORNIANS SEE NUDITY AS A PERSONAL RIGHT

In a time of eroding personal freedoms, Californians affirm their support for nudity as a personal right. By a margin of more than two to one, Californians believe that people have the right to be nude in their homes or on their property, even if they may occasionally be visible to others.

The responses to this question are significant, not only in the consideration of personal liberties, but also in the context of a creeping intrusion of "morality" laws into the private spaces and lives of individuals. California state statutes (like the disorderly conduct law, section 647 of the Penal Code) refer to activities that happen in "any public place or in any place open to the public or exposed to public view." This NEF California Poll survey result clearly challenges the acceptability of extending the reach of the law, as it pertains to nudity on one's own property.

Agreement throughout the state is almost equally high among women (67.7%) and men (68.5%).

QUESTION number 4 Do you agree or disagree that the California Department of Parks and Recreation should exercise the legal authority it has to designate clothing-optional areas in state parks? Agree 62 % Disagree 33 % Not Sure 5%

Question #4 Conclusion and Analysis:
SIXTY-TWO PERCENT FAVOR DESIGNATION OF CLOTHING-OPTIONAL AREAS WITHIN CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS

Under Title 14, Section 4322 of the California Code of Regulations, the California Department of Parks & Recreation has the legal authority today to designate clothing optional areas in State Parks. The Parks Department has never done so, a position that that appears to be unresponsive to the public it exists to serve. The NEF California Poll indicates that by an impressive margin, Californians favor the designation of clothing-optional areas in State Parks.

- High rates of agreement exist in areas where traditional (but undesignated) clothing-optional areas are already located in State Park units. The Sacramento area reports 62.5% agreement with the idea of designating clothing-optional areas in state parks; Auburn State Recreation Area, located nearby, has seen significant clothing-optional use for decades.

QUESTION number 5 Do you agree or disagree that you are personally offended by the non-sexual nudity of others? DISAGREE 60 % Agree 37 % Not Sure 3%

Question #5 Conclusion and Analysis:
MOST CALIFORNIANS ARE NOT OFFENDED BY NUDITY

The notion that most Californians are offended by nudity is shown to be a myth. Sixty percent of California adults say that they are NOT personally offended by the non-sexual nudity of others.

- Within every age group, a majority reports that non-sexual nudity is not personally offensive. Those with college degrees are less likely to agree that they are offended by nudity (26.4%) than those without college degrees (43.9%). Regardless, a strong overall majority of Californians disagrees that they are personally offended by the non-sexual nudity of others.

QUESTION number 6 Have you, personally, ever gone "skinny-dipping" or nude sunbathing with others? No 56 % Yes 40 % Refuse to Answer 3 % Not Sure 1%

Question #6 Conclusion and Analysis:
TEN MILLION CALIFORNIA SKINNY-DIPPERS?

Forty percent of all California adults have been skinny-dipping or nude sunbathing with others. That calculates to be about 10 million people, more than the entire population of a state the size of North Carolina or Michigan.

Previous national polling conducted on behalf of the Naturist Education Foundation (NEF Roper Poll 2000, NEF Roper Poll 2006) indicates the level of skinny dippers and nude sunbathers to be approximately 25% of the national population. As reflected by the NEF California Poll, a significantly higher percentage of California residents are participants in clothing-optional recreation. Among the California Poll respondents with a college degree, 39.5% answered YES to this question. Among those without college degrees, 41.0% answered YES.

About the Naturist Education Foundation NEF is the educational and informational adjunct to The Naturist Society, a membership society serving North America. NEF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of volunteers. Naturist Education Foundation P.O. Box 132 OSHKOSH, WI 54903 TEL: (512) 282-6621 EMAIL: nef@naturisteducation.org