Wed, Oct 18, 2000 page2

• Survey shows attitudes toward sex are changing

  • By Chuang Chi-ting / STAFF REPORTER
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  Results of a large-scale global survey into sexual attitudes and behavior released yesterday show that today's youth are more sexually active than earlier generations.

  The survey carried out in 27 geographical regions worldwide reveals that more advanced sex education has resulted in better awareness of the practice of safe sex. The survey appears to show that Taiwanese in general are relatively reserved when it comes to sex, while the young -- in keeping with the trend worldwide -- are more sexually active than previous generations. Experts say sexual liberation in Taiwan is under way.

  The survey, conducted among people of both sexes between the ages 16 and 55 and conducted by condom manufacturer, Durex, found Taiwanese respondents have their first sexual experience at an average age of 21.4 -- later than their counterparts in all 27 other countries polled, except China, with its slightly higher average age of 21.9.

  Hsiung Hsien-chih (熊賢芝), director of the Family Life and Sexuality Education Center of Mercy Memorial Foundation (杏陵醫學基金會家庭生活與性教育中心), said that according to her observations, teenagers in Taiwan are having sex much earlier than the average age shown in the survey.

  "The survey included previous generations, who might have become sexually active later. The younger generation is now definitely more open to embracing sex earlier," she said.

  According to the survey, Americans have sexual intercourse for the first time at an average age of 16.4, slightly younger than Brazilians, who start at 16.5 and Germans at 16.9. The global average age for people's first sexual experience is 18.1.

  According to the survey, today's youth have their first sexual experience earlier than previous generations. Compared with the average age of 18 for people currently between 25 and 34 years old and 18.9 for those over 45, people between 16 and 20 years old had sex for the first time at an average age of 16.

  The survey shows 23 percent of Taiwanese people use books, leaflets and magazines as sources of sex education. Only 3 percent of Taiwanese respondents received information from parents.

  Hsiung said a survey conducted last year by the same organization reveals that just 49 percent of Taiwanese young people between 16 and 24 years old had used contraception during their first sexual experience, and only 36 percent used condoms.

  "Youth on the island need to understand precisely how to protect themselves from sexually transmittable diseases and unplanned pregnancies, especially now that they are starting sex much younger than previous generations," Hsiung said.

  Fifty-nine percent of Taiwanese polled said they had changed their sexual lifestyles because of the risks of HIV infection while 58 percent of respondents worldwide said so. Only 59 percent of Taiwanese use condoms as an HIV prevention method.

  Fourteen percent of Taiwanese use no contraception, according to the survey.

  The survey reveals that Taiwanese, on average, have sex 78 times a year, lower than the global average of 96. Such frequency is only greater than the average of four other countries. Americans claimed to be having the most sex at 132 times a year, followed by the Russians and the French, the survey shows.

  Japan has the lowest frequency of sex at 37 times a year, followed by Malays and China. Men of all surveyed countries claim to be more sexually active than women, making love 103 times a year, compared to 88 for the latter.
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