Skip to main contentSkip to navigationSkip to navigation
A pile of condoms
Young people aged 16 to 24 account for 59% of chlamydia and gonorrhoea diagnoses in England. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA
Young people aged 16 to 24 account for 59% of chlamydia and gonorrhoea diagnoses in England. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA

Half of young people do not use condoms for sex with new partner – poll

This article is more than 6 years old

Finding that 10% of sexually active 16 to 24-year-olds have never used a condom comes as campaign aimed at avoiding STIs launches

Almost half of sexually active young people do not use a condom when sleeping with someone for the first time, and more than one-third of young people think carrying protection is a sign someone is promiscuous, a survey has found.

One in 10 sexually active 16 to 24-year-olds, the age group that accounted for 59% of chlamydia and gonorrhoea diagnoses in England last year, said they had never used a condom, prompting calls from the Royal College of GPs for investment in sexual and reproductive health services.

The YouGov poll of 2,007 young people about attitudes towards contraception was published on Friday to coincide with the launch of a sexual health campaign from Public Health England (PHE).

The Protect against STIs campaign, supported by the Family Planning Association, Durex and the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, aims to help normalise and encourage condom use among young people.

Despite the high rates of sexually transmitted infections among young people, 58% said the main reason for using condoms was to avoid pregnancy, compared with 29% for avoiding infections.

The report revealed that sexual health was a difficult subject for young adults to discuss, with 56% of men and 43% of women saying they found it hard to talk about STIs with friends.

Responding to the new campaign and survey results, Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard, the chair of the RCGP, said: “[The figures are] really alarming and highlight the genuine need for better access to good, sensible, sexual health education for everyone, including contraception and the potentially terrible impact of STIs, so we’re pleased that Public Health England is tackling the issue head on.

“The figures prove that we need urgent investment in sexual and reproductive health services in the community, both to protect the health of young people and to ensure progress that has been made over recent years is not reversed.”

The research found that 32% of young adults had never seen a condom in a sex scene on TV or in films.

“Since 1998, the teen pregnancy rate in England and Wales has halved, but the college is greatly concerned rates of teenage pregnancy and transmission of sexually transmitted diseases will rise unless more is done to reduce the barriers patients face to accessing contraceptives and other sexual health services,” Stokes-Lampard said.

On the key finding that 47% of sexually active young people have had sex with someone new for the first time without using a condom, Gwenda Hughes, the head of STI surveillance at PHE, said: “Rates of STIs among young people continue to be too high and it is concerning that many sexually active young people are not using condoms with new partners.

“Six in 10 chlamydia and gonorrhoea diagnoses are in those under 25 years of age, so we need to remind young people of the importance of using condoms with a new or casual partner to help prevent infection.”

Tom Haywood of Durex UK said: “We want young people to know that sex can be fun and safe if you wear a condom. There is still a perception for many that condoms reduce pleasure and fun, but condoms should be a key part of positive sexual activity as they help protect against STIs.”

Most viewed

Most viewed