Statistics

These facts are provided for the use of Citizens for Community Values of Memphis by the National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families.

www.nationalcoalition.org

Pornography
Teens and Sex
Marriage and Family
Portrayals of Sex in the Media
Sexually Oriented Businesses (SOB)
Entertainment, Technology and Advertising

Pornography [back to top]
Approximately 40 million people in the United States are sexually involved with the Internet
Exposing Porn: Science, Religion, and the New Addiction, Paul Strand. Christian Broadcasting Network, 2004.
One in five children ages 10-17 have received a sexual solicitation over the Internet
The Web's Dark Secret. Newsweek, 19 March, 2001.
Three million of the visitors to adult websites in September 2000 were age 17 or younger
NetValue Report on Minors Online. Business Wire, 19 December, 2000.
One in four children who use the Internet are exposed to unwanted sexual material
Your Children & Pornography: A guide for Parents, Tom Buford. Tommera Press, 2001.
2.5 billion emails per day are pornographic
Pornography Statistics 2003. Family Safe Media. www.familysafemedia.com, 2003.
25 percent of all search engine requests are pornography related
Internet Pornography Statistics: 2003, David C. Bissette, Psy.D. www.healthymind.com, 2004.
Sex sites on the Web generate at least $1 billion per year in revenue
Wall Street Meets Pornography. New York Times, 23 October, 2000.
72 million Internet users visit pornography web sites per year
Pornography Statistics 2003. Internet Filter Review. www.internetfilterreview.com, 2003.
94 percent of Americans believe a ban on Internet pornography should be legal
Statistics on Internet Pornography. www.levelbest.com.
79 percent of Americans say the government should do something about the potential for dangerous strangers to make contact with children
Survey Shows Widespread Enthusiasm for High Technology. NPR Online. http://www.npr.org/programs/specials/poll/technology/, 1999.
One in 17 children ages 10-17 were threatened or harassed over the Internet in 2000
Report Statistical Highlights. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Crimes Against Children, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2000.
Nearly 1.4 million Americans are stalked online each year (4 out of 5 are women)
Stalkers Online, Andrea Rock. Ladies’ Home Journal, March 2000.
Sex is the number 1 topic searched on the Internet
Overdosing on Porn, Rebecca Hagelin. www.worldandi.com, March, 2004.
Americans spend $10 billion per year on pornography
Overdosing on Porn, Rebecca Hagelin. www.worldandi.com, March, 2004.
There are 800 million rentals each year of adult videos and DVDs
Overdosing on Porn, Rebecca Hagelin. www.worldandi.com, March, 2004.
11,000 adult movies are produced each year
Overdosing on Porn, Rebecca Hagelin. www.worldandi.com, March, 2004.
“For the 20-year-old kid, porn stars have kind of replaced what models used to represent.”
How One Man Unleashed the Porn Plague, Andy Butcher. Charisma Magazine, November 2003.
The Adult Industry Medical Health Care Foundation, a health-care clinic for porn workers, carries out 600 AIDS and STD tests per month
How One man Unleashed the porn Plague, Andy Butcher. Charisma Magazine, November 2003.
34 percent of churchgoing women said they have intentionally visited porn websites online
Internet porn a guy thing? Not really, online rating service says, Mark O’Keefe. The Charlotte Observer.
Less than 10% of sexual solicitations and only 3% of unwanted exposure on the Internet were reported to authorities
Online Victimization: A Report on the Nation’s Youth. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Crimes Against Children, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2000.
More than 30% of 1,500 surveyed companies have terminated employees for inappropriate use of the Internet, while only 37.5% of companies use filtering software
Websense Incorporated and The Center for Internet Studies, 2000.
39 million homes receive the adult channels in scrambled form, while the number of children with potential exposure to such images is about 29 million
Court looks at adult channel ‘bleed,’ Michael Kirkland. UPF Financial Wire, 30 November, 1999.
Cable companies brought in revenue of $177 million from sexually explicit pay-per-view programming
No Big Surge in Sex Programs is Expected From Cable Ruling, Jim Rutenberg. The New York Times, 24 May, 2000.
70 percent of sexual advances over the Internet happened while youngsters were on a home computer
One in Five Kids Has Been Propositioned for Cybersex. Legal Facts. Vol. 2, No. 3, 2000.
21 percent of teens say they have looked at something on the Internet that they wouldn’t want their parents to know
A World of Their Own. Newsweek, 8 May 2000.
Out of 81 pastors surveyed (74 males 7 female), 98% were exposed to porn; 43% intentionally accessed a sexually explicit website
National Coalition survey of pastors. Seattle. April 2000.
Porn site architects were among the first to perfect full-streaming video and audio on the Web and among the first to persuade apprehensive consumers to divulge credit card numbers to someone unknown to them on the Internet, which developed e-commerce
The Architects of Porn. VARBusiness, 28 April 2000.
A survey of 600 households conducted by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children found that 20% of parents do not know any of their children’s Internet passwords, instant messaging nicknames or email addresses.
Ads target online victimization of children. USA Today, 20 May 2004.
Only 5% of parents recognized the acronym POS (parent over shoulder) and only 1% could identify WTGP (want to go private?), both of which are used frequently by teens when instant messaging
Ads target online victimization of children. USA Today, 20 May 2004.
“82 percent of adult Americans surveyed in March 2004 said that the Federal laws against Internet obscenity should be vigorously enforced.”
Americans STILL want federal obscenity laws enforced! The Morality in Media Newsletter, June, 2004.
38 percent of adults believe it is ‘morally acceptable’ to look at pictures of nudity or explicit sexual behavior
Morality Continues to Decay. Barna Research Group, 3 November, 2003.
59 percent of adults believe it is ‘morally acceptable’ to have sexual thoughts or fantasies
Morality Continues to Decay. Barna Research Group, 3 November, 2003.
38 percent of adults believe there is nothing wrong with pornography use
Morality Continues to Decay. Barna Research Group, 3 November, 2003.
Condom use in the adult-film industry rose from 17% to 23% after an outbreak of HIV in March 2004; the percentage has since declined again to 17.5%
Sex-Film Industry Threatened With Condom Requirement, Nick Madigan. The New York Times, 24 August, 2004.
At least 20,000 American adults visit Internet sex sites at least 11 hours per week
Victims of Pornography Month Should Not Exist, Jan Larue. Christian Counseling Today, 2003 Vol. 11 No. 3.
42 percent of surveyed adults indicated that their partner’s use of pornography made them feel insecure
Marriage Related Research, Mark A. Yarhouse, Psy.D. Christian Counseling Today, 2004 Vol. 12 No. 1.
41 percent of surveyed adults admitted they felt less attractive due to their partner’s pornography use
Marriage Related Research, Mark A. Yarhouse, Psy.D. Christian Counseling Today, 2004 Vol. 12 No. 1.
30 percent of surveyed adults said their partner’s use of pornography made them feel more like a sexual object
Marriage Related Research, Mark A. Yarhouse, Psy.D. Christian Counseling Today, 2004 Vol. 12 No. 1.
“A wave of confessionals and self-help guides written by current or former stars of pornographic films is flooding bookstores this year, accompanied by erotic novels, racy sexual-instruction guides, histories of sexual particulars and photographic treatments of the world of pornography.”
Sex, Sex, Sex: Up Front in Bookstores Near You, Edward Wyatt. The New York Times, 24 August, 2004.
More than 75% of people at work have accidentally visited a pornographic website, and 15% have visited such sites more than 10 times
Fifty Percent of Workers Spend Nine days a Year on Personal Surfing at Work. Cerberian Inc. and SonicWALL, 20 July 2004.
63 percent of employees are concerned about the ease of access to objectionable content at work
Fifty Percent of Workers Spend Nine days a Year on Personal Surfing at Work. Cerberian Inc. and SonicWALL, 20 July 2004.
The most common ways people have accidentally reached pornographic content on the Web are pop-up windows (55%), misrepresented links (52%), misspelled URLs (48%) and auto links within emails (23%)
Fifty Percent of Workers Spend Nine days a Year on Personal Surfing at Work. Cerberian Inc. and SonicWALL, 20 July 2004.
For every 10 men in church, 5 are struggling with pornography
The Call to Biblical Manhood. Man in the Mirror, 6 July, 2004.
While 77% of surveyed people said they thought their computers were well-protected, 4 out of 5 had spyware or adware programs running on their computers
Home PCs not so safe? CNN Money, 25 October, 2004. http://money.com/2004/10/25/technology/personaltech/cpu_security.reut/index.htm?cnn=yes
15 percent of online porn habitués develop sexual behavior that disrupts their lives
The Porn Factor, Pamela Paul. www.time.com. 19 January, 2004.
The more pornography men watch, the more likely they are to describe women in sexualized terms and categorize women in traditional gender roles
The Porn Factor, Pamela Paul. www.time.com. 19 January, 2004.
Incidents of child sexual exploitation have risen from 4,573 in 1998 to 112,083 in 2004, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
Reports of child exploitation up. USA Today Snapshots, 17 February, 2005.

Teens and Sex [back to top]

49 percent of teens said their parents influenced their decisions about sex most strongly
Abstinence Until Marriage: The Best Message for Teens, Bridget E. Maher. Family Research Council, 7 September 2004.

42 percent of guys and 33% of girls ages 15-17 have had intercourse
Let's Talk About Sex, Melissa Daly. Seventeen Magazine, July 2003.

Median age for the first use of pornography: boys: 11-13 girls: 12-14
Your Children & Pornography: A guide for Parents, Tom Buford. Tommera Press, 2001.

An estimated 18% of girls who are 15 years old will have a baby before age 20
The Percentage of Teens Having Sex Continues to Decline, Amber Moore. www.childtrends.org, 24 November, 2003.

The United States' birth rate among teens is the highest compared to France, Canada, Japan and Great Britain
What is the Story on Teen Sexuality?, Andrea Pennington, M.D. http://health.discovery.com.

In 2002, it was estimated that 3.2 million teens under the age of 15 were living with HIV
AIDS, Sex & Teens. www.avert.org.

85 percent of the 1 million teen pregnancies per year in the United States are unplanned
Statistics on Teen Pregnancies. www.pregnacny-info.net.

In grades 7-12, 23.4% of first sexual relationships are one-night stands
Study: Teens who hurry love less likely to use birth control, Karen S. Peterson. USA Today.

33 percent of guys and 23% of girls feel some or a lot of pressure to have sex
Let's Talk About Sex, Melissa Daly. Seventeen Magazine, July 2003.

Women ages 20-24 obtain 32% of all abortions
Who Has Abortions? Focus on the Family. http://www.family.org/pregnancy/articles/a0030225.cfm - 22.1KB

82 percent of teens did not use birth control pills during last sexual intercourse
US Teens’ Sexual Behavior Statistics. Focus on the Family.
http://www.family.org/cforum/fosi/abstinence/facts/a0027048.cfm, 24 July, 2003.

Approximately 19 million new cases of STDs occurred in 2000, of which 9.1 million (48%) were among young people ages 15-24
Sexually Transmitted Diseases Among American Youth: Incidence and Prevalence Estimates, 2000, Hillard Weinstock, Stuart Berman and Willard Cates, Jr. Allen Guttmacher Institute, 2004.

45 percent of teens do not use protection regularly
Charlotte Observer, April 2004.

68 percent of teens are unconcerned about STDs
Charlotte Observer, April 2004.

21 percent of ninth-graders have slept with four or more partners
The Secret Sex Lives of Kids, Lisa Collier Cool. Ladies’ Home Journal, 2001.

One in twelve children are no longer a virgin by his/her 13th birthday
The Secret Sex Lives of Kids, Lisa Collier Cool. Ladies’ Home Journal, 2001.

78 percent of new cases of genital herpes were caused by a virus found chiefly in the mouths of 16-21 year olds
Oral Sex: A dangerous Teen Trend, Caroline Stanley. Ladies’ Home Journal, 2004.

55 percent of teens ages 13-19 admitted to engaging in oral sex
Seventeen Magazine, 2001.

88 percent of teens ages 12-19 say it would be easier to postpone sexual activity if able to have more open, honest conversations with parents
National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, September 2003.

Each year, one in ten girls under the ages of 20 – one million per year – becomes pregnant; 40% of these pregnancies will end in abortion
Stop Worrying, Start Talking. Better Homes and Gardens, 2003.

65 percent of all sexually transmitted infections contracted by Americans in one single year will occur in people under age 24
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2001.

One out of every two sexually active young people can expect to become infected with a STD by age 25
Sexually transmitted infection rates soar among youth, Cheryl Wetzstein. The Washington Times, 1-7 March, 2004.

Half of the 18.9 million new STD cases in 2000 were among youths ages 15-24
Sexually transmitted infection rates soar among youth, Cheryl Wetzstein. The Washington Times, 1-7 March, 2004.

Two-thirds of U.S. teenagers who have had sexual relations wish they had waited longer
Teens want to wait for sex, Joyce Howard Price. The Washington Times, December 2003.

28 percent of teens say they have become more opposed to early sex
Teens want to wait for sex, Joyce Howard Price. The Washington Times, December 2003.

84 percent of teens say pregnancy-prevention programs should teach young people to be married before they have a child
Teens want to wait for sex, Joyce Howard Price. The Washington Times, December 2003.

26 percent of teens think it is embarrassing to admit they are virgins
Teens want to wait for sex, Joyce Howard Price. The Washington Times, December 2003.

“The generation we are looking at right now has never known a time of innocence.”
How One man Unleashed the porn Plague, Andy Butcher. Charisma Magazine, November 2003.

Every day, 8,000 teenagers become infected by a STD
Sexually Active Teenagers Are More Likely to Be Depressed and to Attempt Suicide, Robert Rector, Kirk Johnson and Lauren Noyes. The Heritage Foundation, 3 June, 2003.

Sexually active girls are more than three times more likely to be depressed than are girls who are not sexually active; sexually active boys are more than twice as likely to be depressed as are those who are not sexually active
Sexually Active Teenagers Are More Likely to Be Depressed and to Attempt Suicide, Robert Rector, Kirk Johnson and Lauren Noyes. The Heritage Foundation, 3 June, 2003.

Sexually active girls are nearly three times more likely to attempt suicide than are girls who are not sexually active; sexually boys are eight times more likely to attempt suicide than are boys who are not sexually active
Sexually Active Teenagers Are More Likely to Be Depressed and to Attempt Suicide, Robert Rector, Kirk Johnson and Lauren Noyes. The Heritage Foundation, 3 June, 2003.

53 percent of adolescent males have been masturbated, 49% have received oral sex, 39% have given oral sex and 11% have had anal sex
Teen ‘virgins’ are having sex in many ways, Karen Peterson. USA Today, 19 December, 2000.

A recent study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated “data on 12,000 U.S. teens found that those who pledge virginity until marriage got sexually transmitted diseases at the same rate as teens who did not.”
Abstinence-only support varies widely among states, Steve Sternberg & Anthony DeBarros. USA Today, 23 June, 2004.

91 percent of teens ages 15-17 that have not had sex said they were influenced by what their parents have taught them about sex
Virginity and The First Time. The Kaiser Family Foundation, October, 2003.

85 percent of teens ages 15-17 who have had sex said their decision was influenced by curiosity
Virginity and The First Time. The Kaiser Family Foundation, October, 2003.

Over 50% of teens ages 15-17 believed they would marry their first sexual partner
Virginity and The First Time. The Kaiser Family Foundation, October, 2003.

The median age for first intercourse is 16.5 years old
Teens, Sex, & the Media. Media Scope. 2001.

42 percent of high school students admitted to having sex without a condom
Teens, Sex, & the Media. Media Scope. 2001.

One in 25 young Americans are infected with chlamydia, which is thought to be the most prevalent bacterial STD in the USA
Chlamydia infection prevalent among unsuspecting young Americas, Rita Rubin. USA Today, 12 May, 2004.

There is a tight connection between teen girls’ sexual behavior and dating older boys
Study finds older boys are bad influence. http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/08/19/sex.drugs.boys.reut/index.html. 19 August 2004.

57 percent of teens ages 13-17 see sex outside of marriage as morally acceptable
Teens’ Marriage Views Reflect Changing Norms, Linda Lyons. The Gallup Organization, 18 November 2003.

42 percent of teens ages 13-17 see having a baby outside of marriage as morally acceptable
Teens’ Marriage Views Reflect Changing Norms, Linda Lyons. The Gallup Organization, 18 November 2003.

65 percent of young people have sex before they finish high school
Teens’ Marriage Views Reflect Changing Norms, Linda Lyons. The Gallup Organization, 18 November 2003.

54 percent of young men ages 18 to 24 use instant messaging to communicate
Survey: Young Men would do without video games before TV, Michael McCarthy & Dan Goodman. USA Today, 26 July, 2004.

Most strongly religious students tend to hold conservative views on sex, abortion, gay rights and drugs
Spiritual students mostly lean right, Mary Beth Marklein. USA Today, 28 July, 2004.

Over 40 percent of 15-year-olds are sexually active
Experts in Sex Field Say Conservatives Interfere With Health and Research, Mireya Navarro. The New York Times, 11 July, 2004.

A new Johns Hopkins University study found that teenage African-American girls with an actively involved parent are less likely to contract a sexually transmitted disease; the study also found communication alone is not enough - parents need to be specific about boundaries on sexual behaviors.
Parental Involvement Key, Study Says, Steve Jordahl. Family News In Focus, 12 July 2004.

There are over 1,000 abstinence-until-marriage programs around the United States and 1/3 of public middle and high schools say that abstinence is ‘the main message in their sex education.’
Abstinence Until Marriage: The Best Message for Teens, Bridget E. Maher. Family Research Council, 7 September 2004.

93 percent of teenagers believe that teens should be given a strong message from society to abstain from sex until at least after high school
Abstinence Until Marriage: The Best Message for Teens, Bridget E. Maher. Family Research Council, 7 September 2004.

The highest unwed birthrates are among those age 20-24
Abstinence Until Marriage: The Best Message for Teens, Bridget E. Maher. Family Research Council, 7 September 2004.

Teen childbearing costs U.S. taxpayers an estimated $7 billion per year in social services and lost tax revenue due to government dependency
Abstinence Until Marriage: The Best Message for Teens, Bridget E. Maher. Family Research Council, 7 September 2004.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the STD syphilis decreased in the United States through the 1990s, then climbed 19% from 2000 to 2003 to about 7,100 cases. The CDC attributed the spike to a twelve-fold rise in cases among gay and bisexual men, many of whom are also infected with the AIDS virus.
Mutant syphilis strain resists common cure. http://www.cnn.com/2004/health/07/08/syphilis.resistance.ap/index.html. 8 July, 2004.

The number of teens having sex has declined by 16% over the last decade
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. November 2004. www.cdc.gov

The abstinence education program Choosing the Best is 47% more effective at delaying a teen’s first sexual encounter than condom-promoting sex education programs
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. November 2004. www.cdc.gov

While research indicates 84% of parents don’t think their teens are sexually active, 50% of high schoolers are
U.S. Census Bureau. www.census.gov. October 2004.

58 percent of females and 40% of males ages 13-19 say they up their confidence level by changing their appearance
USA Today Snapshots, Rebecca Johnson and Alejandro Gonzalez. 21 October, 2004.

There are 40,000 new HIV cases each year and as many as 950,000 people living with HIV/AIDS
Study: Pattern of HIV infections shows blacks bearing the brunt, Steve Sternberg. USA Today, 2 December, 2004.

Sexual activity is responsible for four out of the five most commonly reported infectious diseases in the USA
USA Today Snapshots, Cristina Abello and Suzy Parker. 9 December, 2004.

Among boys 15-17, virginity rates rose from 57% in 1995 to 69% in 2004. For girls the same age, virginity was up from 62% to 70%.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. www.cdc.gov. December 2004.

Girls see over 400 advertisements per day telling them how they should look
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. www.cdc.gov

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is the most common STD transmitted today by skin-to-skin contact
Promiscuous Plague, Karen Testerman. The World & I, March 2004.

80 percent of women who choose to parent while they are teens will live at the poverty level for 10 years or more
Promiscuous Plague, Karen Testerman. The World & I, March 2004.

A girl is four times more likely to contract an STD than to become pregnant
Promiscuous Plague, Karen Testerman. The World & I, March 2004.

A young mother today has had on average 2.3 STDs
Promiscuous Plague, Karen Testerman. The World & I, March 2004.

Adolescents who take virginity pledges:
o Are less likely to experience teen pregnancy;
o Are less likely to be sexually active while in high school and as young adults;
o Are less likely to give birth as teens or young adults;
o Are less likely to give birth out of wedlock;
o Are less likely to engage in risky unprotected sex; and
o Will have fewer sexual partners
Teens Who Make Virginity Pledges Have Substantially Improved Life Outcomes, Robert Rector, Kirk Johnson, and Jennifer Marshall. The Heritage Foundation, 21 September 2004.

The decade’s 33% drop in teenage pregnancy can be attributed to sexual abstinence (53%) and improved contraceptive use (47%)
Journal of Adolescent Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. August, 2004. www.teenpregnancy.org.

In 2002, about 47% of female teenagers (4.6 million), and about 46% of male teenagers (4.7 million) had had sexual intercourse at least once
Teenagers in the United States: Sexual Activity, Contraceptive Use, and Childbearing, 2002. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC. December 2004.

The percent of never-married males aged 15-19 who ever had sexual intercourse declined significantly between 1995 and 2002, from 55 to 46 percent
Teenagers in the United States: Sexual Activity, Contraceptive Use, and Childbearing, 2002. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC. December 2004.

Among the 5.5 million male and 5.2 million female teens who had not yet had sex, the main reasons for not having sex was that it was “against religion or morals”
Teenagers in the United States: Sexual Activity, Contraceptive Use, and Childbearing, 2002. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC. December 2004.

In 2002, 30% of female teens aged 15-17 and 31% of male teens this age range had had sex, down from 38% and 43% respectively
Teenagers in the United States: Sexual Activity, Contraceptive Use, and Childbearing, 2002. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC. December 2004.

About 11% of males and 13% of females have taken virginity pledges
Teenagers in the United States: Sexual Activity, Contraceptive Use, and Childbearing, 2002. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC. December 2004.

96 percent of kids have gone online; 74% having access at home and 61% use the Internet on a typical day
Kids stay connected, USA Today Snapshots. 5 January, 2004.

A study from The Journal of the American Medical Association that enrolled 2,117 teenage girls and women ages 15-24 revealed that those who received emergency contraceptive pills in advance were nearly twice as likely to use them as other participants
Study: Sex habits unchanged by emergency pill. USA Today. 5 January, 2005.

Nearly 3 in 10 (27%) 13-16 year olds are sexually active
Nearly 3 in 10 young teens ‘sexually active.’ NBC News, PEOPLE Magazine Poll, 19 January 2005.

77% of teens would classify oral sex as “sex,” while 43% say oral sex is not seen as being as big a deal as sexual intercourse
Nearly 3 in 10 young teens ‘sexually active.’ NBC News, PEOPLE Magazine Poll, 19 January 2005.

Nine in 10 teens who have had oral sex say they know an STD can be spread through oral sex, but only 3 in 10 always use protection when they have oral sex
Nearly 3 in 10 young teens ‘sexually active.’ NBC News, PEOPLE Magazine Poll, 19 January 2005.

Roughly half of young teens who have had oral sex or sexual intercourse have been involved in a casual relationship; 67 percent of those that have engaged in casual relationships often do so “to satisfy a sexual desire”
Nearly 3 in 10 young teens ‘sexually active.’ NBC News, PEOPLE Magazine Poll, 19 January 2005.

While both parents and teens report talking to each other about sex and relationships, there appears to be a disconnect: twice as many parents than teens maintain these conversations happen often (85% to 41%)
Nearly 3 in 10 young teens ‘sexually active.’ NBC News, PEOPLE Magazine Poll, 19 January 2005.

While 27% of teens report having been sexually intimate, only about half of their parents (15%) believed their teens have gone beyond kissing
Nearly 3 in 10 young teens ‘sexually active.’ NBC News, PEOPLE Magazine Poll, 19 January 2005.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 40,000 new HIV infections each year
CDC widens access to preventive HIV drugs, Anita Manning. USA Today, 21 January, 2005.

The first “map” of teen sexual behavior has found a chain of 288 one-to-one sexual relationships at a high school in the U.S. Midwest, meaning the teenager at the end of the chain may have had direct sexual contact with only one person, but indirect contact with 286 others
Sex Map Shows Chain of Almost 300 High School Lovers, Maggie Fox. Reuters, 24 January, 2005.

Marriage and Family [back to top]

83 percent of 86 surveyed married people do not see electronic "dates" as cheating
No Mystery Left: Is the Easy Availability of Online Porn Leaving Kids Too Sex-Savvy? www.abcnews.com. 18 October, 2003.

47.78 percent of families said pornography is a problem in their home
Focus on the Family Poll, 1 October, 2003.

75.5 percent of surveyed adults said it was okay to visit an adult web site, while 79.7% said it was okay for a significant other to reply to an unsolicited instant message or chat with a stranger of the opposite sex
‘My Wife doesn’t care’ if I fool around online, Leslie Miller. USA Today, 10 July, 2000.

65 to 85 percent of men and 80% of women said they were monogamous in marriage
What We Know About Sex, Jennifer Mendelsohn. USA Weekend, The Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 November, 2003.

Half of unmarried men ages 20-29 said they would have sex without any interest in marriage
Why Men Won't Commit: Exploring Young Men's Attitudes About Sex, Dating and Marriage, Barbara Dafoe Whitehead and David Popenoe. The National Marriage Project, 2002.

In the 1990's, more than half of the brides had already lived together with a boyfriend
National Marriage Project: Cohabitation Report, Barbara Dafoe Whitehead and David Popenoe, 1999.

957,200 divorces and 2,355,005 marriages took place in 2000, making the divorce rate 40%
The Divorce Rate, The National Center for Health Statistics. www.divorcereform.org, 2000.

There were 11.72 million single parents in 2002
U.S. Divorce Statistics. www.divorcemag.com, 2002.

74 percent of men try to postpone sex if the relationship has long-term potential
Why Men Won't Commit: Exploring Young Men's Attitudes About Sex, Dating and Marriage, Barbara Dafoe Whitehead and David Popenoe. The National Marriage Project, 2002.

Among married men, 63% grew up in two-parent homes versus 37% in non-traditional families
Men from traditional homes are more the ‘marrying kind,’ Marilyn Elias. USA Today, 23 June, 2004.

94 percent of married men say they are happier being married than being single
Men from traditional homes are more the ‘marrying kind,’ Marilyn Elias. USA Today, 23 June, 2004.

36 percent of unmarried men agree that ‘single men have better sex lives than married men.’
Men from traditional homes are more the ‘marrying kind,’ Marilyn Elias. USA Today, 23 June, 2004.

60 percent of adults believe it is ‘morally acceptable’ to cohabitate, while 50% of born-again Christians believe it is ‘morally acceptable’ to cohabitate
Morality Continues to Decay. Barna Research Group, 3 November, 2003.

42 percent of adults believe it is ‘morally acceptable’ to have a sexual relationship with someone of the opposite sex to whom you are not married
Morality Continues to Decay. Barna Research Group, 3 November, 2003.

Married couples with children make up just 24% of households in 2000, down from 40% in 1970, and expected to sink to 20% by 2010.
Teens’ Marriage Views Reflect Changing Norms, Linda Lyons. The Gallup Organization, 18 November, 2003.

36 percent of adults view sex between unmarried people morally wrong
USA Today Snapshots, Julia Neyman and Bob Laird. 13 September, 2004.

91 percent of adults view polygamy and affairs outside of marriage morally wrong
USA Today Snapshots, Julia Neyman and Bob Laird. 13 September, 2004.

Married people are healthier than other adults
National Center for Health Statistics. www.cdc.gov/nchs. December 2004.

Half of Americans 45 or older say they are somewhat religious; 20% cite their most satisfying spiritual experience is prayer, 19% say living a good life, 19% say helping others, 13% say being with family, and 10% say attending religious services.
Prayer most pleasing, USA Today Snapshots. 10 January, 2005.

The decline in the proportion of family groups with children that were married-couple families leveled off during the mid-1990s, at about 68% from 1996 to 2003 due to declining divorce rates and reduced non-marital fertility, especially among teens.
America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2003. U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau. November 2004.

81 percent of all households in 1970 were family households, but the proportion dropped to 68% by 2003.
America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2003. U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau. November 2004.

Single-mother families increased from 3 million in 1970 to 10 million in 2003, while the number of single-father families grew from less than 500,000 to 2 million.
America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2003. U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau. November 2004.

In 1970, the median age at first marriage was 20.8 years for women and 23.2 years for men. By 2003, these ages had risen to 25.3 years and 27.1 years, respectively.
America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2003. U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau. November 2004.

In 2003, 9.2 million men and women lived together in 4.6 million unmarried-partner households.
America’s Families and Living Arrangements: 2003. U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau. November 2004.

Up to 20% of couples now report having sex no more than 10 times a year, qualifying them for what experts call “sexless marriages”
I Love Them, I Love Him Not, Judith Warner. The New York Times, 14 February, 2005.

Children are a growing “impediment” to a happy marriage
The State of Our Unions, Rutgers University. The National Marriage Project, June 2004.

Fewer children are growing up with happily married parents today than one generation ago. From 1973 to 1976, 51% of children under the age of 18 were living in a household in which the parents’ marriage was rated as “very happy.” From 1997 to 2002, only 37% were so fortunate.
The State of Our Unions, Rutgers University. The National Marriage Project, June 2004.

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