One in four young people aged 15 to 17 have had sex and half of these have had more than two sexual partners, according to The Irish Times/TNS mrbi youth poll, writes Mark Brennock.
Of the 15 to 17 year-olds who have had sex, 30 per cent have had one partner and a further 19 per cent have had two.
With 12 per cent of these having had three sex partners and a further 12 per cent having had four, just over four per cent of the 15 to 17 age group has had sex with more than four people. In this youngest age group, 25 per cent have had sex, 74 per cent have not, and 1 per cent did not say.
The second part of The Irish Times/TNS mrbi youth poll, published today, showed that within the 15 to 24 age group, 62 per cent have had sex, 37 per cent have not and 1 per cent declined to answer.
While just 25 per cent of the 15 to 15 cohort have had sex, this proportion rises steadily with age.
The youth poll - the most comprehensive ever conducted in the State - was conducted among a national quota sample of 1,000 young people aged 15 to 24 at 100 locations throughout all constituencies in the state. It took place between August 20th and September 6th last. The respondents completed questions related to more personal questions in private.
Some 16 per cent of young people have parents who are separated or divorced, with a further 5 per cent having a widowed parent. Some 82 per cent of 15 to 24 year olds live at home with their parents with over half - 53 per cent - of those aged 23 to 24 still doing so. In 40 per cent of households, both parents work.
In relation to sexual behaviour of young people, 68 per cent of the 18 to 19 age group have had sex, 31 per cent have not and 1 per cent did not say.
In the 20 to 22 group, 78 per cent has had sex, 21 per cent has not and 1 per cent did not answer. In the 23 to 24 group, 85 per cent has had sex, 14 per cent has not and 1 per cent did not say.
Of those who have had sex by the age of 24, the average age at which they first did so is 16 years and 9 months. For females who have had sex, their average age is just under 17 while males' average is 16 ½.
There is no marked difference between the proportion of males and females that has had sex, with 63 per cent of males and 60 per cent of females having done so. However, there is a substantial difference in attitudes to when sex is right.
Some 43 per cent of males believe "sex is OK" on the first date, 53 per cent disagree and 4 per cent did not answer. In contrast, among females just 16 per cent agree that "sex is OK" on the first date, 81 per cent disagree and 3 per cent did not answer.