New survey tells how much sex were having
29 percent of men, 9 percent of women say theyve had 15 or more
partners
NEW YORK - Its a question that often prompts a boastful answer or
a bashful one: How many sex partners have you had?
Now the federal government says it has authoritative statistics,
documenting that men are far more likely to play the field than
women.
A new nationwide survey, using high-tech methods to solicit candid
answers on sexual activity and illegal drug use, finds that 29
percent of American men report having 15 or more female sexual
partners in a lifetime, while only 9 percent of women report having
sex with 15 or more men.
The median number of lifetime female sexual partners for men was
seven; the median number of male partners for women was four.
The survey, released Friday, is based on data collected from 1999
to 2002 for the National Center for Health Statistics, a branch of
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In previous federal surveys on these topics, participants were
asked questions in face-to-face interviews. The CDC believes that
caused underreporting of behaviors which might be viewed
negatively, although the survey did not provide any comparative
results from earlier reports.
This time, data was gathered from 6,237 adults, aged 20 to 59, in
what are called computer-assisted self-interviews a method
designed to provide complete privacy and produce more honest
answers.
This is the first time weve used this technique, said Dr.
Kathryn Porter, who served as medical officer for the survey. The
participants have a headset on, they hear questions, they touch the
screen with responses. Theres no one else in the room and they can
take as long as they want.
Porter said the findings would provide grist for further studies,
notably on the prevalence and patterns of sexually transmitted
diseases.
Though the survey results were presented by the CDC without
subjective comment, they will likely provide ammunition to various
parties in the ongoing national debate over sex education,
cohabitation and access to birth control.
Many of the conservative groups aligned with the Bush
administration on social issues promote the goal of sexual
abstinence until marriage. The survey found only about 11 percent
of never-married adults had remained chaste.
Among the other findings:
About 96 percent of U.S. adults have had sex.
Sixteen percent of adults first had sex before age 15, while 15
percent abstained from sex until at least age 21.
The proportion of adults who first had sex before age 15 was
highest for non-
Hispanic blacks (28 percent) compared to 14 percent for both
Mexican-
Americans and non-Hispanic whites.
Six percent of blacks abstained from sex until age 21 or older,
fewer than
Mexican-Americans (17 percent) or non-Hispanic whites (15
percent).
Black men and women were more likely to report having 15 or more
partners in a lifetime (46 percent and 13 percent, respectively)
than other racial or ethnic groups.
Seventeen percent of men and 10 percent of women reported having
two or more sexual partners in the past year.
Twenty-five percent of women and 17 percent of men reporting having
no more than one partner of the other sex in their lifetime.
Twenty-six percent of men and 17 percent of women have tried
cocaine or other street drugs (not including marijuana) at some
time in their life. Seven percent of men and 4 percent of women had
done so within the past 12 months.
Non-Hispanic whites had a higher percentage of ever using cocaine
or street drugs (23.5 percent) than blacks (18 percent) or
Mexican-Americans (16 percent).
Adults who were married or had more than a high school education
were less likely to use street drugs than others.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19374216
