Teen Attitudes Toward Sex

TEEN SEX: NEW POLL SHOWS MAJORITY OF TEENS REGRET HAVING SEX

Almost two-thirds of teenagers who have had sexual intercourse regret not waiting, according to a poll released by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Individually, 55% of boys and 72% of girls surveyed said they wish they had waited longer to have sex. "This poll is just the latest evidence that many teens are taking a more cautious attitude toward having sex," Sally Sachar, deputy director of the campaign, said.

Thirty-seven percent of teens cited their parents as the people who are the most influential in their decisions about sex, with 30% citing that friends, 11% naming the media and an additional 11% identifying their religious communities as their strongest influence. Sachar said of the results, "It ... makes clear that parents can -- and must -- play an active and continuing role in helping their children understand that sex can wait." The media plays a strong role in providing information on sex, with 61% of teens naming it as a source of information or advice about sex in the past month, followed by 57% who learned from their friends, and 55% who received information from their parents.

In addition, while 78% of teens surveyed agreed that teens should not be sexually active, 54% say that those teens who are sexually active should have access to birth control. Nearly one-fourth disagreed, saying that teens should be abstinent and not have access to birth control. Sixty-four percent of teens would advise their younger siblings or friends not to have sex until they are at least out of high school, but if they did, to protect themselves against pregnancy and STIs.

Twenty percent of teens surveyed said their sex or abstinence education classes deserved an "A," while 39% gave the classes a "B." Only 11% gave their school's classes a "below average" rating. The survey, conducted June 7 - 11 by International Communications Research, interviewed 501 teens ages 12-17. The margin of error is 4.3% (Not Just Another Thing to Do. [Survey from the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy], released June 30, 2000).

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National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Accessed July 1, 2003.

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