A study released by the National Center for Health Statistics shows that more young adults are waiting to have sex. According to the findings, 27 percent of young men and 29 percent of young women ages 15-24 have never had a sexual encounter.
In a previous study from 2005, only 22 percent of young males and females ages 15 -24 had abstained from sex, USA Today reports. The new findings are based on responses from 5,082 people age 15 – 24 from the 2006-2008 National Survey of Family Growth.
Of those surveyed, 58 percent of girls and 53 percent of boys ages 15 – 17 had not experienced sexual contact. In 2002, those numbers were 48.6 percent of girls and 46.1 percent of boys. Twelve percent of women and 13 percent of men ages 20-24 have not had any sexual encounters; in 2002, that number was eight percent for both sexes.