Racist words in kids' books divide Germans

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BERLIN, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- A poll by Germany's Emnid Institute found that Germans are split on the issue of taking racist words out of children's books.

The poll of 500 people over the age of 14 found that 50 percent of respondents said they were in favor of removing the controversial words from children's books, while 48 percent said they were against it, The Local.de reported.

About 52 percent of respondents in western Germany said they were in favor of the change, while 37 percent of respondents from eastern Germany said the same.

Respondents who were more educated were more against changing the texts, the poll found. About 85 percent of respondents without formal training were in favor of removing the words, compared to 37 percent who had completed higher education.

The discussion of whether to take racist words out of children's books was sparked by Family Minister Kristina Schroder, who told the newspaper Die Zeit that when she reads stories like "Pippi Longstocking" to her children, she substitutes racist words for non-offensive terms.