A survey of the sexual habits of young adults in the State has confirmed many 18- to 30-year-olds are engaging in casual unprotected sex.
The study of a representative sample of 400 people carried out by Lansdowne Market Research for RTÉ's Prime Time programme found at least 40 per cent of the group had a one-night stand with a stranger and more than half of these did not practise safe sex. Some 73 per cent of men said they had more than one casual sexual encounter in the previous 12 months.
The programme, broadcast last night, looked at the factors behind the rise in sexually transmitted infections in the State. It said there had been a 10-fold increase, between 1994 and 2000, to 1,343 in cases of chlamydia, a condition which can result in infertility in women.