Jay's World of Abstracts

Jay's World of Abstracts 00029

Jay's Introduction

The abstract here is a summary of a yearly survey of Americans about teen pregnancy. The results of this survey are often the basis of the perceptions of many experts in the field, which makes it a powerful document in shaping how our culture thinks the problem might be addressed.

Are you ready to get your attitudes shaped?

Abstracts

Summary

• Adults and teens believe that teens should receive a strong abstinence message. Nearly all of those surveyed (94% of adults and 93% of teens — essentially unchanged from last year) believe it is important that teens be given a strong message from society that they should abstain from sex until they are at least out of high school.
• “Abstinence-first” yes. “Abstinence-only” no. Support for a strong abstinence message for teens does not mean Americans support an “abstinence-only” message for teens. Most American adults and teens share the common sense view that abstinence is the first and best option for teens but also strongly believe that teens should be given information about contraception. Some 66% of adults and 56% of teens believe teens should not be sexually active but those who are should have access to birth control. While the majority of Americans support this middle-ground position, the survey also reveals that there is more support this year than last year for the idea that teens should not be sexually active and should not have access to birth control (15% of adults supported this position in 2001, 23% support it this year) and less support of the position that it’s okay for teens to be sexually active, as long as they have access to birth control (12% of adultssupported this position in 2001, only 9% say they support it this year).
• Americans want more of both, not either/or. Our survey this year also reveals that substantial majorities of adults (76%) and teens (64%) think that teens should get more information about abstinence and birth control rather than just one or the other. When asked what advice they would offer policymakers regarding teen pregnancy, a significant majority of adults (63%) and teens (68%) say they would place greater emphasis on encouraging teens not to have sex and greater emphasis on birth control (also, essentially unchanged from last year).
• Americans reject the “mixed message” argument. Some argue that stressing abstinence to teens while also providing them with information about contraception sends teens a confusing, mixed message. Adults (66%) and teens (72%) disagree, calling such a message “clear and specific” (nearly unchanged from last year’s survey).
• Sexually experienced teens wish they had waited. Most teens who have had sex (63%) wish they had waited longer. Fully 70% of sexually experienced teen girls and 55% of sexually experienced teen guys report they wish they had waited longer to have sex.
• Teens in general express cautious attitudes toward early and casual sex. Most teens (82%) believe that sex should only occur in a long-term, committed relationship. This is true for boys (81%) as well as girls (84%). Only 19% of teens think it’s all right to have sex if two people have known each other for a short time. And 33% of adults and 28% of teens also say they have become more opposed to teens having sex over the past several years.
• Parents continue to underestimate their influence. There continues to be a “parent-gap”when it comes to teens’ decisions about sex. When asked who influences teens’ decisions about sex the most, more adults cited teenagers’ friends (30%) than any other source. Only 8% of teens, however, say friends are most influential. Younger teens (aged 12-14), in particular, cite parents as the most influential by a wide margin (31% cite parents as most influential, while only 8% say friends are most influential).
• Parents matter. Nearly seven out of ten teens (69%) also agree that it would be much easier for them to postpone sexual activity and avoid teen pregnancy if they were able to have more open, honest conversations about these topics with their parents. And one out of four teen girls say their parents have discussed sex, love, and relationships with them “not nearly enough.”
• Morals, values, and religious beliefs are also influential. Teens say morals, values, and/or religious beliefs influence their decisions about sex more than any of the other options offered by the question (parents, friends, the media, teachers and sex educators, and worries about pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases).
• Many teens are not getting the message that teen pregnancy is wrong. The percentage of adults who believe that young people are getting a clear message that teen pregnancy is wrong declined dramatically between 2001 and 2002 (from 63% to 48%). For their part, fully 16% of teens say they are not getting a clear message that teen pregnancy is wrong and an additional 25 percent of teens seem to be uncertain about the message they are getting.
• Many teens still believe “it won’t happen to me.” Our survey makes clear that many teens simply have not made teen pregnancy an issue of personal concern. Over half of all teens we surveyed (54%) said they have never really thought about what their life would be like if they got pregnant or got someone pregnant. Perhaps not surprisingly, far more girls than boys have thought about becoming pregnant or causing a pregnancy as a teen.
• Many young people are ambivalent about how they’d feel about getting pregnant or getting someone pregnant. Twenty-one percent of teens say they are either not determined or only somewhat determined to avoid getting pregnant or causing a pregnancy as a teen. This finding is particularly troublesome in light of research indicating that if young people are at all ambivalent about the importance of avoiding pregnancy, the risk of actually becoming pregnant is quite high.
• Americans to the media: Show consequences. While most adults (57%) and teens (72%) believe that there has been more attention to teen pregnan-cy prevention in the news and entertainment media in the past few years, the overwhelming majority of adults (88%) and teens (83%) wish the entertainment media more often presented the consequences of sex, including teen pregnancy.
• Marriage should be discussed. Significant majorities of adults (86%) and teens (84%) believe that teen pregnancy prevention programs should teach young people to be married before having children.
• Positive peer influence. Nine out of ten teens (91%) say it would be a lot easier for teens to delay sex if other teens spoke positively about not having sex.
• It’s different for guys. Although teen boys and girls generally express similar feelings and beliefs about teen pregnancy and related issues, our survey reveals several pronounced differences. For instance, five out of ten teen boys (51%) say they often receive the message that sex and pregnancy are “not a big deal.” Teen boys are also more likely than teen girls to say that it is embarrassing for teens to admit they are virgins.