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Report on How Much Do You Wanna Know About Sex?
Smart girls decide for themselves™.
A total of 516 people participated in this survey. 95% of those who responded were girls. Many different ethnic groups were represented by those who took this survey, including: 131 people of European descent, 97 people of African descent, 52 people of multi-racial descent, 38 people of Latin descent, 35 people of Asian descent, 20 people of Native American descent, 16 people of Oceania/Pacific Islander descent, and 13 people of Middle Eastern descent.
Wow! SmartGirl survey participants really come from diverse backgrounds. While the majority (about 61%) of respondents hail from the United States, a lot of other countries are represented by SmartGirl survey participants. These countries include South Africa, Pakistan, England, Georgia, Puerto Rico and Scotland, just to name a few!
So SmartGirl asked these respondents around the world, how much do you wanna know about sex?
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Puberty and STDs were the issues that schools addressed the most, and anatomy was the least discussed. 11% of respondents said that their schools did not address any of these issues related to sex.
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| What issues schools address |
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This graph makes it clear that our SmartGirl respondents want to be knowledgable in every area of sexual issues. The most important issues picked were sexuality and prevention/contraception. The issue respondents wanted schools to address the least was puberty. Hmm..this just happens to be the issue most addressed by schools. Interesting, don't ya think?
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| What issues respondents wish schools would address |
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This surveyed showed that the issues parents are addressing are a lot of the same ones that schools are addressing. Puberty is the number one issue addressed, while anatomy is the least talked about.
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| What issues have respondents' parents addressed? |
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When SmartGirl asked what you want your parents to address with you when it comes to sex, the answer was loud and clear - NOTHING! Respondents chose that they would like their parents to address NONE of these issues more than any other response. If parents do address issues with these respondents, kissing and sexuality are as far as respondents want the conversation to go.
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Respondents were asked where teens can go to find out information about kissing and sex, and they were also asked where they do go for this information. These responses were very similar - respondents said that both themselves and most teens turn to friends, the Internet, and books for information on issues about sex. They also said that they were least likely to turn to religion. An interesting twist in these results is that respondents predicted themselves as less likely to get information from friends than most teens, and more likely to turn to parents for information. Okay, okay...maybe parents do know a little bit about sex after all.
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Our SmartGirl survey asked three questions about getting information on anatomy and puberty: where should teens go for information, where do teens go for information, and where do our respondents themselves go for information?
Our respondents said that teens should turn to parents, a doctor or school if they need information on puberty and anatomy. The option respondents chose the least is their partner. Do you agree?
When asked where they think teens actually go for information on puberty and anatomy, respondents chose friends, the Internet and books/magazines as their top choices. This is totally different from where our respondents said they thought teens should go for this information. Can you think of any reasons why these responses might be so different?
Lastly, respondents told us where they go for information on puberty and anatomy. They personally turn to their parents, friends, and the Internet. A doctor and books/magazines were also popular sources of information.
We can see that parents, friends, and the Internet are very popular sources of information. Respondents also said that their partners and religion were the least popular sources of information.
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| Where do respondents go for information on anatomy and puberty? |
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| Respondents have a lot of resources for information on anatomy and puberty. You might even be able to think of some more yourself! |
SmartGirl wants to know how much you want to know about sex. But we also wanted to know how much you already know about issues related to sex. SmartGirl presented respondents with a statement, "I know a lot about __________." Respondents could strongly agree, agree, be neutral, disagree, or strongly disagree. This gives us some idea about how much respondents know about these issues.
The first issue addressed was puberty, and we found that respondents feel that they know a lot about puberty. Over 70% of respondents agree or strongly agree that they know a lot about puberty. Only 10% disagree or strongly disagree - that is, they feel they do not know a lot about puberty.
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| I know a lot about puberty. |
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| This graph shows that most of our respondents strongly agree that they know a lot about puberty. |
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55% of respondents feel that they know a lot about kissing. Almost 24% feel that they don't know that much about kissing, however.
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| I know a lot about kissing. |
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| Most of our respondents agree that they know a lot about kissing. |
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48% of respondents feel that they know a lot about abstinence. 36% disagree, saying they don't know a lot about this issue. 16% of respondents felt neutral about this issue. What do you think?
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| I know a lot about abstinence. |
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| Less than half of our respondents feel they know a lot about abstinence. |
Our respondents feel they know a lot about STDs and HIV - and we couldn't be happier! Anyone who is involved in any type of sexual relationship- this doesn't just mean having sexual intercourse or oral sex- should be knowledgable about STDs. Before getting involved, it's important to know about any risks you might be taking. 23% of respondents did not feel that they know a lot about STDs or HIV.
Do you think that you know a lot about STDs? Do you think this is an important issue to think about? What resources do you think might be available to those who need more information?
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| I know a lot about STDs. |
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| Respondents feel that they know a lot about STDs. This is an important area to know a lot about if you are thinking about or are in a physical relationship! |
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Most respondents feel that they know a lot about contraception. They know how important this issue is if you're thinking about sex. About 22% don't feel they know a lot about contraception and prevention. Remember, if you are like these 22% who don't know much about prevention, that's okay too. No one should ever feel embarassed if they don't have all of the knowledge they need regarding any issues related to sex. The important part is finding out the information you need. Our respondents gave a lot of good resources above where teens can go to find out this information, and SmartGirl has some cool resources too!
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| I know a lot about prevention/contraception. |
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| Not only do respondents know about STDs, but they're wise about contraception too! |
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We asked our respondents if they used Smartgirl's Library of Information -- but it looks like most of you didn't know we had one! 68% of respondents were not aware that SmartGirl has a resource with all kinds of useful links. A few of you have used the Library of Information to get information on puberty, kissing, anatomy, and sex. The Library of Information has cool links for all kinds of issues facing Smartgirls - not just issues related to sex. You can check out the Library of Information here.
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We asked what topics our respondents wanted to know more about, and the response was overwhelming! This graph shows that respondents were interested in all sorts of issues, with one big one in particular - kissing! A lot of respondents also said they want to know more about sexual decision making, and sexual orientation.
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| What topics do you want to know about? |
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| We got a wide range of responses to this question- some of our respondents even gave us great answers that we hadn't even thought about! Can you think of any topics you might be interested in that aren't included here? |
Decisions about kissing and sex are important choices that everyone should make for themselves. This includes at what age a person will begin to engage in kissing and other sexual beahviors. We asked our respondents several questions regarding age and sexual behaviors.
When it comes to kissing, most respondents felt that 12 or 13 should be the minimum age for a person to engage in kissing. However, respondents were torn on what age people actually start kissing at. Most respondents felt that people begin kissing at age 10 or less, while age 12 was the next popular response.
It seems like a lot of our respondents think that people begin kissing at a younger age than they should. Do you agree with this?
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| What is the minimum age at which people should begin having sex? |
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We got a wide variety of responses when we asked questions relating age and sex. When asked at what minimum age people should begin having sex, respondents gave a range of answers, but it was clear that they felt people should wait until they are a bit older to begin engaging in sex. The most popular responses were ages 18, 16, and 22 or older.
When asked at what age respondents thought that people starting having sex, the responses were much lower than in the previous question. Respondents felt that 14, 15, and 16 were the most common ages for people to begin having sex. This is lower than the age at which respondents felt that people should begin having sex. Perhaps respondents feel that people are having sex at too young of an age. Do you agree or disagree with this? Do you think that there is a minimum age at which people should begin having sex?
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| At what age do you think people begin having sex? |
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We asked respondents whether they felt certain sexual practices were acceptable or not. Most respondents agreed that it is okay to kiss someone if you are not dating them. As many respondents felt neutral on this issue as disagreed with it!
When it comes to sex before marriage, respondents held diverse views as to whether it is acceptable. The majority (43%) think that it's okay, but 34% of respondents do not think premarital sex is acceptable. 23% of respondents felt neutral on the issue.
A little more than half of our survey respondents agree that homosexuality and bisexuality are acceptable. 52% agree with this, but 38% of respondents do not feel that homosexuality and bisexuality are accpetable sexual orientations. 10% of respondents feel neutral about this issue.
Obviously our respondents hold diverse views about sexual practices. Do you have any ideas about what might affect whether or not a person feels specific sexual practices are acceptable?
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We asked our respondents if they would write to our SmartGirl mentors about issues such as anatomy, puberty, sex and kissing. 27% of respondents said they would, 20% said they would not, and about 48% said they weren't sure. Mentors are just one of many resources that you can use to get information on these issues. Mentors are university students who will talk about issues and questions based on their own knowledge and experience. Any questions or issues that you write a mentor about will be kept completely confidential. Mentors are a great resource, but not everyone feels most comfortable asking a mentor these sort of questions. Even if you don't want to ask a mentor directly, they can often give you some ideas for other resources that you can use to get information on these issues. If you'd like to communicate with a mentor, you can join the SmartCenter! Or you can look above to see what resources our respondents recommend!
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Our survey asked respondents what is the one question about sexual issues that they would like to see answered, and we saw a wide variety of responses! Here are some of the questions:
What do boys go through in puberty?
How can I avoid getting pregnant if I don't want to use a condom?
What is masturbation, and is it okay?
Why do some people think that homsexuality is wrong?
How do you kiss?
What is the appropriate age to have sex?
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What should you do if you are bi/homosexual and have friends who might ridicule you?
What happens to a guy during an orgasm?
What is oral sex, and how do you do it?
What do hormones do to the body, and why do they make guys want to have sex?
If I have sex, will it hurt?
How can we be more involved in preventing HIV/STDs?
How do you actually have sex?
If your boyfriend is pressuring you to have sex and says he'll break up with you if you don't, what should you do?
What is a pap smear, and why should I have one?
If you have sex at an early age, will it mess with your body?
How do you know when you're ready to have sex?
Are a lot of girls abstinent from sex before getting married?
How do I talk to my parents about sex?
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If you are forced to have sex, who should you tell?
I'm 13, and most of my friends have kissed or gone farther - is it normal that I haven't ever had my first kiss yet?
Where can you go to get resources like condoms or birth control?
What do you do if you are pregnant and don't want to tell your parents?
Can you get STDs from kissing?
As you can see, our respondents have a lot of great questions. We really appreciate everyone taking the time to fill out our survey, as it helps us know what issues you want us to address here at SmartGirl. If you want to know answers to these questions, or other questions relating to sex, be sure to check out SmartGirl's Library of Information, or join the SmartCenter to contact a SmartGirl mentor. Even if you don't want to discuss your problem with a mentor, they can point you in the direction of some great resources. Our respondents have a lot of questions about sex, and you might too. Remember, there is absolutely nothing wrong with not knowing everything about sex or kissing. The important thing is that you make sure that you get the information you need to make sure you can make smart decisions when it comes to sex!
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Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts
with us!
Please remember that all web-based polls
are not scientific because the pollsters cannot randomly select the
respondents to participate in the surveys.
All our surveys are anonymous; check out our privacy
policy. All data copyright 1996-2000.
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