The rapid population growth in Ethiopia (3 percent per year) in recent years posesrnserious difficulties in the efforts to achieve economic and social development. To solvernthis problem, there is a need for pertinent information on knowledge, practice andrnattitudes of various segments of the population with respect to fertility behaviour andrnfamily planning. There is also a need to understand their perception and views regardingrnthe JXlPulation growth at the national level, their opinions on the interaction of JXlPulationrnand environmental deterioration, and their attitude towards the introduction of populationrnand family life education. Such information can indicate focus areas for a populationrnJXllicy and also contribute to its success.rnThis is an exploratory study which investigated the family planning knowledge,rnpractice and attitudes of Ethiopian elites in Addis Ababa, their perception of thernJXlpulation growth and environment, and their attitude towards the introduction ofrnJXlPulation and family life education in the high school curricula of the country. The eliternplay an imJXlrtant role, in spite of their small numbers, in moulding public opinion onrnevery aspect of life including reproductive life and they act as a role-model for otherrngroups.rnThe elite sub-groups covered in the study were artists, high school teachers,rnlawyers, medical doctors, Orthodox-Christian and Muslim religious leaders, seniorrngovernment officials, university lecturers and a women's group. The thesis discusses therntarget JXlpulation, the survey methodology and problems encountered in the field.rnDescriptive analysis was used to discuss knowledge, practice and attitude towards familyrnplanning, and the elites' perception of the population problem in the country. Multivariaternanalysis was applied for examining differentials in mean age at marriage of women andrnthe mean achieved and desired fertility levels among the elite sub-groups. The analysisrnfollowed two approaches. The first one was the investigation of differentials in thernattitudes towards and practices of family planning and other JXlpulation related issues byrnsocio-economic and demographic background characteristics. The second approachrninvestigated these differentials within and between elite sub-groups.