The annual National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior Report, conducted by researchers at the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University’s School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, in conjunction with the Kinsey Institute has published its findings on the Indiana University web site. Findings for this year provide an update on the sexual practices of people of all ages in the United States covering the past year.
To make the report, hundreds of thousands of people of all ages living in the United States at some point during the last year, were interviewed, both using questionnaires and in person. Results from the survey are posted on the University site and some articles derived from the research have been published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine. Conducting the survey were members of both University staff and Kinsey Institute employees.
Highlights of the report include a serious look at condom use; information that can help provides statistics on pregnancies as well as Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs). In the study, the group found that 25% of those responding reported using a condom during intercourse. For single people, the number jumps to nearly 33%. They also found that condom use is higher among black and Hispanic Americans than among white Americans and those from other racial groups.
The report also notes an increase of other than intercourse sexual activities among adult Americans, believed to be in response to widely circulated news of the increase in STDs. As a result, there also appears to be an increase in the number and variety of non-intercourse sex acts, which can also include simple acts of intimacy.
The researchers also found that most older adults continue to have active sex lives, thanks partly to Erectile Dysfunction pills and an aging population in general (one that was responsible for the sexual revolution after all).
The research also includes a slight uptick in the number of gay Americans. The number has now climbed to nearly 7% of women and 8% of men, much higher than was though just a decade ago.
Also noted is the number of adolescents engaging in sexual intercourse appears to holding steady at an even 40% for 17 year old males.
The National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior Report is produced each year, because as Debby Herbenick, associate director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion says, “People are often curious about others’ sex lives.” But also because such studies shed light on social activities and behaviors that can affect the population at large.