Attitudes about Premarital Sex
| Data show attitudes about premarital sex, based on a Gallup poll survey. Figures are in percent. | |||
| Not wrong | Wrong | ||
| 1969 | 21 | 68 | |
| 1973 | 43 | 47 | |
| 1985 | 52 | 39 | |
| 1987 | 48 | 46 | |
| 1991 | 54 | 40 | |
| 1996 | 55 | 40 | |
| 1998 | 56 | 40 | |
| 2001 | 60 | 38 | |
| Source: Majority Considers Sex Before Marriage Morally Okay. Available online from http://www.gallup.com. | |||
Adult Sexual Activity, 1994
| Figures show percentage of adults identifying the level of their sexual activity. | |||||
| None | Few Times per Year | Few Times per Month | 2 or 3 Times per Week | 4 Times per Week | |
| Men 18-24 | 14.7 | 21.1 | 23.9 | 28.0 | 12.4 |
| Men 25-29 | 6.7 | 14.8 | 31.0 | 36.2 | 11.4 |
| Men 30-34 | 9.7 | 16.7 | 34.7 | 31.5 | 7.4 |
| Men 35-39 | 6.8 | 12.6 | 40.0 | 35.3 | 5.3 |
| Men 40-44 | 6.7 | 16.9 | 44.4 | 26.4 | 5.6 |
| Men 45-49 | 12.7 | 19.8 | 33.3 | 27.8 | 6.3 |
| Men 50-54 | 7.8 | 19.6 | 45.1 | 22.5 | 4.9 |
| Men 55-59 | 15.7 | 24.7 | 41.6 | 16.9 | 1.1 |
| Women 18-24 | 11.2 | 16.1 | 31.5 | 28.8 | 12.4 |
| Women 25-29 | 4.5 | 10.3 | 38.1 | 36.8 | 10.3 |
| Women 30-34 | 8.1 | 16.6 | 34.6 | 32.9 | 7.8 |
| Women 35-39 | 10.8 | 15.7 | 37.8 | 32.5 | 3.2 |
| Women 40-44 | 14.6 | 15.5 | 46.1 | 16.9 | 6.8 |
| Women 45-49 | 16.1 | 16.1 | 41.0 | 23.6 | 3.1 |
| Women 50-54 | 19.3 | 20.7 | 40.0 | 17.8 | 2.2 |
| Women 55-59 | 40.8 | 22.4 | 29.6 | 4.8 | 2.4 |
| [Continued] | |||||
Adult Sexual Activity, 1994 [Continued]
| None | Few Times per Year | Few Times per Month | 2 or 3 Times per Week | 4 Times per Week | |
| All Men | 9.8 | 17.6 | 35.5 | 29.5 | 7.7 |
| All Women | 13.6 | 16.1 | 37.2 | 26.3 | 6.7 |
| Source: U.S. Departmentof Health and Human Services, Report to Congress on Out-of-Wedlock Child- bearing, September1995, Table IVand Laumann, E.O. etal. 1994. The Social Organization of Sexuality. | |||||
Sexual Fantasies and Behaviors
| Figures based on percent of survey respondents. | ||
| Would Like To | Have Done | |
| Engaged in sado-masochistic sex | 5 | 7 |
| Had sex on a plane or train | 44 | 11 |
| Used an aphrodisiac | 15 | 12 |
| Had sex with someone of the same sex | 7 | 17 |
| Had "cybersex" on the Internet | 7 | 23 |
| Had sex at the office | 19 | 23 |
| Had sex with more than one person at same time | 27 | 24 |
| Had an extramarital affair | 4 | 28 |
| Had sex with someone 10 or more years younger/older | 13 | 40 |
| Had sex in a public place | 10 | 48 |
| Had sex with married person | 5 | 56 |
| Had a one night stand | 9 | 57 |
| Had sex in a car | 7 | 80 |
| Source: Love and Lust: A Euro RSCG Global Study. available online from http://www.eurorscg.com. | ||
How Americans Describe Themselves Sexually
| Figures are percent of survey respondents. | |
| Percent | |
| Prude/uptight about sex | 3.0 |
| Promiscuous | 4.0 |
| Obsessed with sex | 7.0 |
| Voyeur | 8.0 |
| Not very interested in sex | 11.0 |
| Sexually frustrated | 14.0 |
| Dissatisfied with sex life | 20.0 |
| Sexy | 28.0 |
| Sexually adventurous | 32.0 |
[Continued]
How Americans Describe Themselves Sexually [Continued]
| Percent | |
| Skilled lover | 32.0 |
| Romantic | 61.0 |
| Source: Love and Lust: A Euro RSCG Global Study.Available online from http://www.eurorscg.com. | |
Viagra Prescriptions
| Data are in thousands. | |
| Percent | |
| Jul-98 | 517 |
| Jan-99 | 268 |
| Jan-01 | 1,150 |
| Jan-02 | 1,000 |
| Source: Chamberlain, Claudine. "Happy Birthday, Viagra." Rose Pike. "Better than Cigars" both Retrieved August 6, 2002 from http://www.abcnews.go.com; "All Signs are Good for OTC Sales in Wake of Huge Viagra Success." Drug Store News, June 22, 1998, p. 53. Andrew Humphreys. "Marketer of the Year." Med Ad News, March 2002, p. 6; Frank Scussa "Making History." Med Ad News. | |
Top Cosmetic Treatments for Men
| Figures show the number of men having each procedure. | ||||||
| 1998 | 2001 | % change | ||||
| Eyelid surgery | 15,564 | 44,726 | 187.3 | |||
| Laser skin resurfacing | 4,522 | 19,122 | 322.8 | |||
| Ear surgery | 3,663 | 17,555 | 379.2 | |||
| Dermabrasion | 2,082 | 12,235 | 487.6 | |||
| Fibril injection | 70 | 414 | 491.4 | |||
| Chin augmentation | 1,218 | 9,561 | 684.9 | |||
| Nose reshaping | 13,143 | 136,009 | 934.8 | |||
| Collagen injection | 4,067 | 48,400 | 1,090.0 | |||
| Hair transplantation | 2,146 | 27,817 | 1,196.2 | |||
| Chemical peels | 3,287 | 168,093 | 5,013.8 | |||
| Source: Data come from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, located at http://www.plasticsurgery.org. | ||||||
What Teenagers Know About Sex
| Figures show percent of correct responses among teenagers surveyed. "T" or "F" indicates true or false statement. | ||
| Percent | ||
| A pap smear test is used to check for cancer of the cervix (T) | 18 | |
| Young people can never choose to be abstinent once they have sexual intercourse (F) | 27 | |
| A teenage girl who has had an abortion will have difficulty getting pregnant when she wants to have a baby (F) | 27 | |
| Fertilization of the egg occurs in the vagina (F) | 27 | |
| Douching is a method of birth control (F) | 30 | |
| The male hormone is called testosterone (T) | 33 | |
| Once you have a STD, you cannot get the same one again (F) | 37 | |
| If a girl has sexual intercourse during her period, she can still get pregnant (T) | 48 | |
| Source: Knowledge about Reproduction, Contraception, and Sexually Transmitted Infections among Young Adolescents in American Cities. Social Policy, Spring 2000, p. 41. | ||
Teenagers Who Have Had Sex
| Figures show percent of teenagers who have had intercourse. Those who remain sexually active are included. | ||||||||||
| 1993 | 1995 | 1997 | 1999 | 2001 | ||||||
| Total | 53.0 | 53.1 | 48.4 | 49.9 | 45.6 | |||||
| All females | 50.2 | 52.1 | 47.7 | 47.7 | 42.9 | |||||
| All males | 55.6 | 54.0 | 48.9 | 52.2 | 48.5 | |||||
| Whites, total | 48.4 | 48.9 | 43.6 | 45.1 | 43.2 | |||||
| Blacks, Non-Hispanic, total | 79.7 | 73.4 | 72.7 | 71.2 | 60.8 | |||||
| Hispanics, total | 56.0 | 57.6 | 52.2 | 54.1 | 48.4 | |||||
| Whites, females | 47.4 | 49.0 | 44.0 | 44.8 | 41.3 | |||||
| Blacks, Non-Hispanic, females | 70.4 | 67.0 | 65.5 | 66.9 | 53.4 | |||||
| Hispanics, females | 48.3 | 53.3 | 45.7 | 45.5 | 44.0 | |||||
| Whites, males | 49.3 | 48.9 | 43.3 | 45.4 | 45.1 | |||||
| Blacks, Non-Hispanic, males | 89.2 | 81.0 | 80.3 | 75.7 | 68.8 | |||||
| Hispanics, males | 63.5 | 62.0 | 57.7 | 62.9 | 53.0 | |||||
| Total currently sexually active | 37.6 | 37.9 | 34.8 | 27.3 | 33.4 | |||||
| Total males, currently sexually active | 37.5 | 35.5 | 33.4 | 30.5 | 33.4 | |||||
| Total females, currently sexually active | 37.5 | 40.4 | 46.5 | 23.9 | 33.4 | |||||
| Source: "Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Surveillance Summaries, June 28, 2002. MMWR 2002: 51 (No. ss-4)." | ||||||||||
HIV/AIDS Cases in the United States
| 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | |
| Cases diagnosed | 99 | 335 | 1,201 | 3,153 | 6,360 | 12,026 | 19,372 | 29,070 | 36,064 | 43,399 | 49,446 | 60,472 | 79,477 |
| Deaths | 30 | 129 | 466 | 1,512 | 3,518 | 6,997 | 12,154 | 16,456 | 21,189 | 27,767 | 31,734 | 36,959 | 41,480 |
| Source: Chart data from United States of America Epidemiological Fact Sheets on HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections, 2002 Update, HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report, Vol. 11 no. 2, table 22. 1980 figure is actually for total cases pre-1980." | |||||||||||||
New HIV Cases by Race
| Figures are annual estimates. | ||
| Percent | ||
| Black | 54.0 | |
| White | 26.0 | |
| Hispanics | 19.0 | |
| Other | 1.0 | |
| Source: "New CDC Studies Shed Light on Factors Underlying High HIV Infection Rates Among Gay and Bisexual Men. " available online from http://www.cdc.gov. | ||
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