Quick Facts 2019: Sex Education in America, part 3
Teen Opinions About Sex
- Most adolescents support reserving sex for marriage, both in general and for themselves.25
- About one half of 18 and 19 year olds wish they had waited longer before becoming sexually active.26
- More than 80% of older teens believe it is possible for a person to choose to stop having sex after having had sex in the past.27
- Although culture is increasingly sexually explicit, the majority of teens are not having sex.28
- More than 80% of 18 and 19 year olds say they don’t like the idea of casual sex.29
- About 40% of teens say that their sex ed classes make them feel pressured to have sex. 32% say they feel pressure from their dating partner.30
American’s Opinion On Sex Education
- Most Americans want teens to avoid all the possible consequences of sex, not just teen pregnancy.31
- The majority of American parents, regardless of race or political party, support Sexual Risk Avoidance (SRA) education with similar enthusiasm, endorsing all the major themes presented in an SRA education class.32
- More than 8 of 10 parents, but especially women and African Americans, support the dominant themes of SRA education. 33
- Nearly 9 in 10 parents strongly support the way SRA programs share the medically accurate limitations of condoms for preventing pregnancy and disease.34
- Most parents want their children to wait for marriage before having sex.35
- Almost 3/4 of parents are opposed to premarital sex both in general and for their own adolescents.36
25U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2010) National Survey of Adolescents and Their Parents: Attitudes and Opinions About Sex and Abstinence. Washington, D. C. : HHS. Accessed August 29, 2011 at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/fysb/content/docs/20090226_abstinence.pdf) 62% say that it is against their values to have sex before marriage; 75% believe that having sex would
make life difficult; 84% oppose sex at their age; 69% oppose sex while in high school. (p. 61)
26Barna Group. (2015). Teens Speak Out survey. Ventura: Author. Albert, B. (2012). With One Voice 2012. Washington, DC: the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Retrieved March 18, 2015 at https://thenationalcampaign.org/sites/default/files/resourceprimary-download/wov_2012.pdf This older survey shows that among younger teens, the regret is even more pronounced.
27Barna Group. (2015). Teens Speak Out survey. Ventura: Author.
28CDC (2018). High School YRBS: 2017. 3CDC (2018). High School YRBS: 2017. Retrieved August 6, 2018 at https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/index.htm
29Barna Group. (2015). Teens Speak Out survey. Ventura: Author.
30Barna Group. (2015). Teens Speak Out survey. Ventura: Author.
31Barna Group. (2015). Americans Speak Out survey. Ventura: Author. Retrieved April 9, 2018 at https://tinyurl.com/yc2szsay
32Barna Group. (2015). Americans Speak Out survey. Ventura: Author. Retrieved April 9, 2018 at https://tinyurl.com/yc2szsay
33Barna Group. (2015). Americans Speak Out survey. Ventura: Author. Retrieved April 9, 2018 at https://tinyurl.com/yc2szsay
34Barna Group. (2015). Americans Speak Out survey. Ventura: Author. Retrieved April 9, 2018 at https://tinyurl.com/yc2szsay
35Pulse Opinion Research (2012). Parents Speak Out. Available at www.WhatTheyToldUs.org
36U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2010) National Survey of Adolescents and Their Parents: Attitudes and Opinions About Sex and Abstinence. Washington, D. C.: HHS. Accessed August 29, 2011 at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/fysb/content/docs/20090226_abstinence.pdf)