Brit should see kids - Poll
2008-01-17 13:17
New York - Despite Britney Spears'
erratic behaviour, most people think the troubled pop star
should be allowed to see her two sons a few times a week under
supervision while ex-husband Kevin Federline retains custody,
according to an E-Poll/Reuters survey.
Spears, 26, lost custody of her children last year after a
series of strange episodes in the wake of splitting from
Federline including being photographed without underwear,
shaving her head, and attacking a car with an umbrella.
She was barred from visiting her sons earlier this month
after refusing to return the boys and being hospitalised for
two days.
She failed to make a custody hearing on Monday with
another hearing scheduled for February 19.
Some people have written off the singer, with a survey by
E-Poll Market Research (www.epollresearch.com), conducted for
Reuters, finding 26% of those questioned believe she
should not be allowed to see her children at all.
Some sympathy
But the survey found some sympathy, with 51% of
people said Spears should be allowed to visit 2-year-old Sean
Preston and Jayden James, 1, a few times a week supervised.
Only 1% backed Spears getting full custody of the
boys while the rest did not know or wanted unlimited visits.
But the overwhelming message from the survey of 1 941
American adults was that Spears needed to stop drinking and
taking drugs, change her friends, and grow up.
Others voiced
opinion that she was suffering some mental illness.
"She needs to clean up her act and start acting like a
responsible adult and mother and not like a spoiled brat," said
one survey participant. "She will eventually be dead if she
does not change her lifestyle."
The majority of people, or 62%, blamed alcohol and
drugs for the downfall of Spears who was the world's
top-selling female artist in the early 2000s.
'Parents at fault'
Two out of 10, however, blamed the Hollywood environment
while one in 10 thought her parents were at fault.
Opinion was divided when it came to the question of whether
Spears could recover from this meltdown.
She enjoyed a brief comeback in October with her new single
Gimme More and her first album in four years, Blackout,
which hit No 2 on the US pop album charts.
Two out 10 respondents thought Spears could restore her
reputation with fans - but two out of 10 did not think this
was possible with men and younger fans less forgiving.
The survey found 45% said maybe she could recover
while 11% did not know.
"Get help, get clean, start over. People root for the
underdog so as long as she is trying she can come back," said
one respondent.
Others weren't so sympathetic.
"Up until the children weren't taken care of, she had a
chance to bounce back. I don't think there is anything she can
do at this point," said another.
E-Poll Market Research provides consumer research for
entertainment and media companies about celebrities, characters
and brands using a proprietary research panel.