New ESSENCE Magazine/National Campaign Survey Released
(Washington, DC, Sept. 7, 2011) — Black youth report considerable pressure to have sex, according to a new survey of 1,500 black youth ages 13-21 released by ESSENCE Magazine and The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. Of those who have had sex, 47% of those ages 13-21 (including 21% of those 13-15) say they have been pressured to go further sexually than they wanted to. The groundbreaking results are featured in the October issue of ESSENCE magazine, on newsstands September 12th. In the article, Our Teens’ Secret Sex Lives, ESSENCE senior writer Jeannine Amber interviewed dozens of young people to uncover the truth about teens and sex.

Almost half of black young people ages 13-21 report they have lied to get out of a sexual situation and 54% of black males of the same age group said they feel pressure from their friends to have sex.

When it comes to sex, pregnancy, and contraception, the survey reveals that the intentions of black youth don’t always match their actions. Even though more than 90% of black youth say it is important to avoid a pregnancy at this point in their lives, 67% have had sex without contraception, 45% report using birth control inconsistently, and 20% say they will likely have unprotected sex with someone in the next three months.

The reasons for not using contraception vary: 38% of black females who have had unprotected sex have done so because their partner doesn’t want them to use contraception, 29% of sexually active black females say they don’t worry about contraception because they “haven’t gotten pregnant so far,” and 18% say it doesn’t matter whether you use protection of not, when it’s “your time” to get pregnant, you will.

Respondents overwhelmingly believe that the TV shows and movies they watch paint a negative picture of black youth:

· 72% believe that the media sends the message that black females’ most important quality is their sex appeal.
· 64% agree that the media sends the message that it is okay for black males to cheat in relationships.
· 73% say the media portrays black youth as sexually aggressive compared to 39% who believe the media portrays whites as sexually aggressive.
· Just 18% say they see themselves in the TV shows and movies they watch.

Black youth, particularly younger teens, say there is much their parents can do to help:

· 31% of those ages 13-21 say their parents are most influential about deciding whether or not to have sex (compared to 27% who cited partners and 5% who cited friends).
· Parental influence seems to wane as youth age—47% of those ages 13-15 say their parents’ opinions matter most compared to 28% of those ages 16-18 and 17% of those ages 19-21.

Other findings from the survey...