Fewer young people are having sex, according to a study released on March 3 by The Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The study surveyed 5,300 young people between the ages of 15 and 24 and found a significant increase in the proportion of chaste youths from previous studies. Twenty-eight percent said they have never had oral, vaginal or anal sex, compared to only 22 percent 10 years ago.
This data is consistent with surveys since 1988, which have shown a decrease in vaginal intercourse among never-married teenagers.
Potential explanations for the steady decline vary. Some, such as Boston University sociology professor Nazli Kibria, believe the data is a result of a combination of factors.
“A possible explanation is the influence of the abstinence campaign, especially among teens who are involved in Christian movements,” Kibria said. “Another, one that I find less convincing, is that teens are better informed, both about the possibility of sexually transmitted diseases and the effective use of contraceptive methods.”
She also said that changing attitudes toward sex may be playing a role as well.
“There is also the argument that this decline is reflective of the greater sense of empowerment and choice that young men and women, especially women, feel today in comparison to the past about their bodies and sexuality,” Kibria said.
However, BU’s Student Health Services has not seen a significant change in sex rates among college students.
“We don’t keep statistics on sexual activity per say,” said David McBride, the director of SHS. “I wouldn’t say that I have personally observed much difference in the number of students who are sexually active, but I don’t have any numbers to back up that sense.”
“I think that it would be difficult to attribute a particular cause to that affect, given that the decision to become sexually active is very complex,” McBride said. BU students had varying responses to the study. Some were shocked to realize that sex rates among other young people were actually declining.
“I did not expect that at all,” said Molly Karg, a freshman in the School of Management. “Social media leads you to think otherwise. I think, if anything, fear of pregnancy would be the reason for the decrease. The fear in society has escalated over the past ten years and that’s the only thing that I would have thought to have changed.”
“I feel like everybody thinks that this is the worst generation,” said Liane Vasquez-Weber, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. “People believe that we young people are more pressured and we are always told that we should be doing this or that. But the pressures are misleading.”
While other students believed that the sex rate would be higher with the increased availability of contraception.
“There are so many methods of contraception available and so easily. So I thought it would be higher,” said Samantha Craig, a sophomore in CAS. “I think that the pressure is less than before. People talk about sex more now.”
Others students, such as CAS freshman Denis Nakkeran, were not as shocked.
“The reason for these results is better education- health education, sex education,” Nakkeeran said. “Now there is more funding going toward it and its risks. Teen pregnancies happen because people aren’t educated about it. The only problem is that there is greater social pressure because it’s deemed as the norm in our age group.”
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