"The public's general perception is that when it comes to young people and sex, the news is bad and likely to get worse," said Bill Albert, chief program officer of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, an advocacy organization in Washington. Researchers found that between 2006 and 2008, the percentage of 15- to 24-year-old men who had never had any form of sexual contact with another person was 27 percent (up from 22 percent in 2002) while the percentage of 15- to 24-year-old females who had never had any sex whatsoever was 29 percent (up 7 percent points from 22 percent in 2002). Anjani Chandra, a health scientist at the NCHS and lead author of the study, says 15- to 19-year-olds made up the lion’s share of this category, a finding that seems to counter other reports regarding teen sex trends. The survey results, released Thursday, suggest that oral sex may be a gateway to vaginal sex but that for some teens it is a stopping point. The survey also found that women aged 15 to 44 were more than twice as likely to have had a same-sex experience as men of the same age (in 2006-2008, approximately 12.5 percent of women reported a same-sex experience compared with 5.2 percent of men). Parts of the survey are now so explicit that even though the interviewer and subject are face to face, some questions are asked and answered using a computer screen so that the answers are completely private.
– A new federal study suggests more young men and women are remaining virgins longer. In the 15-24 age group, 27% of men and 29% of women say they've never had a sexual encounter of any kind, reports MSNBC. That's up from 22% for both groups from the last study in 2002. Other findings: In the 25-44 age group, 97% of men and 98% of women have had vaginal intercourse, and about 90% in both groups have had oral sex, notes the Washington Post. 36% of women and 44% of men in the age group have had anal sex. 12.5% of women reported a same-sex experience, vs. 5.2% of men. 21% of men say they've had at least 15 sex partners, compared with 8% of women. To read about Northwestern's hey-watch-this approach to sex ed, click here.