Strong support for fluoride | Coffs Coast News | Local News in Coffs Coast

A RANDOM telephone survey of 400 Coffs Harbour residents has shown strong support for fluoridation of the local water supply.

When asked the question “Do you support the fluoridation of Coffs Harbour's water supply?”, 56 per cent of respondents answered in the affirmative. Just 28 per cent were opposed, with the remaining 16 per cent unsure.

Excluding the undecided, these results translate into 67 per cent support for fluoridation with 33 per cent opposed.

The independent poll, commissioned and conducted by local market research firm Jetty Research, has a 4.9 per cent margin of error.

Public opinion was relatively consistent between the genders, with 53 per cent of men and 58 per cent of women pro-fluoridation.

Interestingly support was the same regardless of whether the respondent had children living at home.

New arrivals, however, were more supportive than long-term residents: 69 per cent of those living in Coffs Harbour for five years or less were pro-fluoridation, compared with 58 per cent of those residing here from five to 20 years, and 48 per cent of those who have lived locally for more than two decades.

Opposition to fluoridation rose gradually with age, from 17 per cent among those aged 18-29 to 36 per cent of those aged 60 to 70.

The results surprised Jetty Research director James Parker.

“Although I'm on the record as supporting fluoridation, I was curious to see whether the anti-fluoride campaign being waged in local media was typical of community opinion,” he said.

“These results suggest that the majority of the local population quietly agrees with the decision by NSW Health directing Coffs Harbour City Council to add fluoride to the local water supply.”

The findings are similar to a random poll of Northern Rivers residents conducted in late 2005, which found 62 per cent support for fluoridation, with 22 per cent opposed and 16 per cent unsure.

The random fixed-line telephone survey of Coffs Harbour resident aged 18-70 was conducted from  Jetty Research's CATI2 centre at CHEC from July 6-15, using a team of six researchers, as part of a broader omnibus (i.e. multi-client) survey.