&NA;Analysis of the responses to an attitudinal questionnaire answered by 130 surgeons active in colorectal surgery indicates that only 52 per cent consider themselves proponents of operative coloscopy. Despite the difficulty in accurately assessing attitudes, a slight trend of diminishing enthusiasm concerning coloscopy is noted. A too‐low yield of additional polyp detection and a too‐high risk of contamination were the objections most frequently raised by antagonists. While this survey indicates also that operative coloscopy performed in conjunction with colotomy and polypectomy remains a useful and rational procedure in the minds of most surgeons, its future application promises to be severely limited by the burgeoning use of flexible fiberoptic colonoscopy.