Key Statistics from the National Survey of Family Growth
S Listing
- Same sex sexual activity - See Sexual activity between females and Sexual activity between males
- Separation - See Divorce and marital disruption
- Sex education
- Sexual activity between females
- Sexual activity between males
- Sexual activity between males and females
- Sexual intercourse - See Sexual activity between males and females
- Sexual identity and attraction
- Smoking during pregnancy - See Cigarette smoking during pregnancy
- STD/HIV risk
- STD treatment/HIV testing
- Sterilization (female)
- Sterilization (male) - See Vasectomy
Sex education
Percent of teens aged 15-19 years of age who report having received formal instruction before the age of 18 on "how to say no to sex" by grade when they received instruction:
| Did not receive instruction |
Received instruction and grade when first received instruction | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10-12 | ||
| Female 20021 | 14.5% | 17.6% | 19.8% | 17.4% | 12.5% | 12.2% | 5.8% |
| Female 2006-20102 | 11.4% | 15.7% | 16.4% | 20.0% | 14.3% | 15.9% | 6.3% |
| Male 20021 | 17.4% | 22.7% | 17.8% | 17.3% | 11.4% | 9.6% | 3.6% |
| Male 2006-20102 | 17.5% | 18.3% | 14.9% | 16.2% | 13.4% | 13.2% | 6.0% |
Percent of teens aged 15-19 years of age who report having received formal instruction before the age of 18 on "methods of birth control" by grade when they received instruction:
| Did not receive instruction |
Received instruction and grade when first received instruction | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10-12 | ||
| Female 20021 | 30.1% | 5.9% | 9.3% | 12.5% | 13.2% | 18.6% | 10.0% |
| Female 2006-20102 | 29.5% | 5.5% | 8.2% | 11.7% | 12.7% | 20.6% | 11.5% |
| Male 20021 | 33.8% | 8.3% | 9.3% | 13.8% | 11.0% | 16.0% | 6.8% |
| Male 2006-20102 | 39.1% | 5.3% | 6.9% | 11.2% | 13.0% | 15.9% | 8.0% |
Sources:
1Series 23, No. 24, Tables 26 and 27
[PDF - 2.2 MB]
2Special tabulations by NCHS
For more information on this topic see: Data Brief No. 44 [PDF - 1 MB]
Sexual activity between females
Percent of females 15-44 years of age in 2006-2008 who answered "yes" to the question, "Have you ever had any sexual experience of any kind with another female?"1: 12.5%.
Percent of females 15-44 years of age who had a female sexual partner in the last 12 months, 2006-20082: 11.7%.
Sources:
1NHSR No. 36, Table 5 [PDF - 836 KB]
2NHSR No. 36, Table 9 [PDF - 836 KB]
Sexual activity between males
Oral/anal sex between males
Percent of males 15-44 years of age who have ever had oral or anal sex with another male, 2006-20081: 5.2 %.
Percent of males 15-44 years of age who have had oral or anal sex with another male in the last 12 months, 2006-20082: 4.3%.
Sources:
1NHSR No. 36, Table 5 [PDF - 836 KB]
2NHSR No. 36, Table 9 [PDF - 836 KB]
Oral sex between males
Percent of males 15-44 years of age in 2006-2008 who have ever had oral sex with another male: 5.0%.
Source: NHSR No. 36, Table 10 [PDF - 836 KB]
Forced sex - males
| 20021 | 2006-20102 | |
|---|---|---|
| Percent of men 18-44 years of age ever forced to have sex by another male | 2.0% (1.1 million) | 1.6% (866,000) |
(Based on the question): “At any time in your life, have you ever been forced by a male to have oral or anal sex against your will?”
Sources:
1Series 23, No. 26, Table 17
[PDF - 3.5 MB]
2Special tabulation by NCHS
Sexual activity between males and females
Vaginal sexual intercourse
Age at first sexual intercourse
| 20021 | 2006-20102 | |
|---|---|---|
| Mean age at first intercourse after menarche for women aged 15-44 | 17.4 years | 17.1 years |
Sources:
1Series 23, No. 25, Table 33
[PDF - 4.7 MB]
2Special tabulation by NCHS
| 20021 | 2006-20102 | |
|---|---|---|
| Mean age at first intercourse for men aged 15-44 | 17.0 years | 17.1 years |
Sources:
1Series 23, No. 26, Table 14
[PDF - 3.5 MB]
2Special tabulation by NCHS
- Ever had sexual intercourse-teenagers - See Teenagers
- First sexual intercourse before marriage - See Premarital sex
- Contraceptive use at first sexual intercourse - See Contraception
- Nonvoluntary sexual intercourse - See Nonvoluntary sexual intercourse
- Unwanted sexual intercourse - See Unwanted sexual intercourse
- Forced intercourse - See Forced intercourse
- Number of sexual partners in the past 12 months - See Number of sexual partners in the past 12 months
- Number of sexual partners in lifetime - See Number of sexual partners in lifetime
Oral sex - males and females
Percent of males and females 15-44 years of age in 2006-2010 who had ever had oral sex with an opposite-sex partner:
- Males: 81.7%
- Females: 80.4%
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS
Percent of teenagers 15-19 years of age in 2006-2010 who have ever had oral sex with an opposite-sex partner:
- Males: 48.4%
- Females: 46.3%
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS
Anal sex - males and females
Percent of males and females 15-44 years of age in 2006-2010 who have ever had anal sex with an opposite-sex partner:
- Males: 37.0%
- Females: 31.6%
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS
Sexual identity and attraction
Sexual identity for men and women 18-44 years of age
| 2006-2010 | Females | Males |
|---|---|---|
| Heterosexual or straight | 93.6% | 95.6% |
| Homosexual or gay (or lesbian) | 1.2% | 1.8% |
| Bisexual | 3.9% | 1.2% |
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS
Sexual attraction for men and women 18-44 years of age
Males: 2006-2008, 97.2% reported being "only" or "mostly" attracted to females.
Females: 2006-2008, 95.2% reported being "only" or "mostly" attracted to males.
Source: NHSR 36, Table 11 [PDF -836 KB]
STD/HIV risk
Number of males and females 15-44 years of age who reported an HIV risk-related behavior (sexual behavior, drug use, and/or STD treatment) in the last 12 months:
| 2002 | 2006-2010 | |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 7.95 million | 6.5 million |
| Female | 6.65 million | 4.9 million |
| TOTAL | 14.60 million | 11.4 million |
Percent of males and females 15-44 years of age who reported an HIV risk-related behavior (sexual behavior, drug use, and/or STD treatment) in the last 12 months:
| 2002 | 2006-2010 | |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 13.0% | 10.4% |
| Female | 10.8% | 8.0% |
| Total | 11.9% | 9.2% |
Percent of males and females 15-44 years of age reporting each behavior in the last 12 months (each behavior may increase an individual’s risk of HIV and other STDs; respondents could report more than one of these behaviors):
| 2002 | 2006-2010 | |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the last 12 months |
3.0% | 3.3% |
| Five or more opposite-sex partners | 3.5% | 2.8% |
| Sex in exchange for money or drugs | 2.3% | 1.0% |
| Having an HIV-positive sex partner | 0.5% | 0.1% |
| Drug use1: Illicit drug injection or crack cocaine use | 1.5% | N/A |
| Sexual activity between males (males only) | 2.7% | 2.1% |
| Women who had male partners who have sex with other males | 2.3% | 1.4% |
| Any HIV risk-related behavior | 11.9% | 9.2% |
Source: NHSR No. 46, Table 1 [PDF - 343 KB]
12006-2010 data include crystal methamphetamine use in this measure of drug use in last 12 months
STD treatment/HIV testing
HIV testing
Percent of men and women 15-44 years of age who have ever had an HIV test, not counting blood donation:
| 2002 | 2006-2010 | |
|---|---|---|
| Men | 46.5% | 41.9% |
| Women | 55.3% | 59.1% |
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS
Percent of men and women 15-44 years of age who had an HIV test (not counting blood donation) in the last 12 months:
| 2002 | 2006-2010 | |
|---|---|---|
| Men | 15.0% | 13.0% |
| Women | 20.0% | 21.4% |
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS
Percent of men and women 15-44 years of age who had an HIV test by whether they engaged in an HIV risk-related behavior in the last 12 months, 2006-2010:
| Engaged in 1 or more risk-related behaviors in last 12 months | Engaged in no HIV risk-related behaviors in last 12 months | |
|---|---|---|
| Men | 33.5% | 10.6% |
| Women | 43.0% | 19.7% |
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS
STD treatment
Percent who received treatment for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) other than HIV in the last 12 months among men and women 15-44 years of age:
| 2002 | 2006-2010 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total (men and women) | 3.0% | 3.3% |
| Women | 3.4% | 4.1% |
| Men | 2.6% | 2.6% |
Source: NHSR No. 46, Table 1 [PDF - 343 KB]
Sterilization (female)
Percent ever having a female sterilization operation
Percent of women 15-44 years of age in 2006-2010 who have had a sterilizing operation by type of operation:
- Tubal sterilization: 15.0%
- Hysterectomy: 3.7%
- Other operations: 2.2%
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS
Main reason for operation
Among women 15-44 years of age in 2006-2010 who had tubal sterilizations within the past 5 years:
| 2006-2010 | |
|---|---|
| Had all the children she wanted | 63.7% |
| Husband or partner had all the children he wanted | 4.5% |
| Medical reasons | 23.8% |
| Problems with other methods of birth control | 3.0% |
| Other reasons | 5.1% |
Among women 15-44 years of age in 2006-2010 who had hysterectomies within the past 5 years:
| 2006-2010 | |
|---|---|
| Had all the children she wanted | 2.1% |
| Medical reasons | 96.2% |
| Other reasons | 1.7% |
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS
Contact Us:
-
National Survey of Family Growth Staff
Division of Vital Statistics
National Center for Health Statistics
3311 Toledo Road
Hyattsville, MD 20782 - (301) 458-4222
- NSFG@cdc.gov
