Oral Sex and Young People Survey - Summary

The low down on going down: Oral sex and young people Internet survey

Earlier this year, Family Planning NSW and FAR Social Enterprise conducted an online survey of young people aged 16-25 years.

The main aims of the survey were to gather information on:

• Young people's reasons for having oral sex
• How young people access information about oral sex, and any unmet information needs
• How young people talk about oral sex, and how it could be made easier to talk about oral sex.

The survey asked 15 questions about what young people think and feel about oral sex. The survey was available on the Family Planning NSW website from 15 May to 15 June 2008. The survey was promoted in Dolly (both the magazine and website), the Family Planning NSW website, and through youth-friendly sexual health services.

The purpose of this document is to provide a brief summary of the survey results for the young people who took part in the survey. We've summarised what young people told us in relation to the three main aims described above.

A BIG thank you to everyone who completed the survey - your effort is most appreciated. Thanks also to the Reach Out! Youth Ambassadors, and our reference group of sexual health researchers, for your help with developing the survey.

Who completed the survey?

• 250 young people completed the survey.
• 77% were female, 22% were male and 1% transgender.
• 60% of respondents were from NSW, the remainder lived in other states/territories of Australia.
• 90% lived in metropolitan regions and 10% lived in rural and remote regions.

Reasons for having oral sex

We asked young people "What are the reasons people your age like to have oral sex?" Overall, young people described oral sex very positively - the most common reason was "because it feels good" (59%).

Other reasons included (ranked from most to least common):

• Fun and experimentation
• It's less serious than penetrative sex
• It's an expression of trust and intimacy
• It's a normal part of sexual relationships
• Less risk of pregnancy than penetrative sex
• It's convenient and discreet
• For some people it feels better than penetrative sex

"It is one part of the whole range of sexual activities that make up a sexual relationship, it feels good and can signify a level of intimacy." (Alice, female, 24)

"It's fun and exciting; a real rush." (Chloe, female, 18)

"Pleasure mostly, and it's a way to be intimate with someone without having to have sex." (Jeremy, male, 21)

Not all the reasons young people had oral sex were positive. When we asked young people "Have you ever felt pressured to have oral sex?", 50% of females and 24% of males answered "Yes".

Where do young people get information about oral sex?

Young people accessed information about oral sex from a wide range of sources. The three most common ways were from friends (48%), magazines (30%) and the internet (27%). Many young people felt that they learned about oral sex through personal experience (24%). Most young people (68%) accessed information from more than one source, often depending on the type of information they wanted.

"Depends what kind of information you mean. I get my safe sex health information from sexual health providers, I get my knowledge based information from my friends and I get techniques information from my boyfriend." (female, 22)

What do young people want to know more about?

We asked "Is there anything about oral sex that you know a little about but would like to know more about?" Young people wanted to know more about (ranked from most to least common):

• The health risks of oral sex, especially sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
• Techniques for doing it better and enjoying it more
• What other people think and do when it comes to oral sex
• Questions about their body and what is 'normal' (e.g. tastes and smell)

"What are the major health risks and stuff." (Jamay, female, 16)

"Honestly, techniques!" (Leo, female, 19)

"I would like there to be more information that helps to put people at ease about how they look/smell 'down there'." (Tallulah, female, 25)

Talking to doctors and healthcare workers about oral sex

We asked "What would make it easier to talk about oral sex to your doctor or healthcare worker?" Young people thought it would be easier if (ranked from most to least common):

• The doctor was accepting and non-judgmental
• They felt comfortable with the doctor (some people felt more comfortable with a young doctor or female doctor)
• Their privacy and confidentiality was assured (especially that their parent's wouldn't find out)
• If the doctor raised the topic of oral sex

For gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer young people, it was also important that the doctor had specific knowledge about issues relevant to them.

"That [healthcare workers] do it professionally, but still understand that I'm human, not a test subject." (M, female, 20)

"When a doctor is really up front and frank it makes awkward things easier to talk about." (Sally, female, 20)

What happens next with this project?

We are currently writing the full report of this project. The report will be released in February 2009. Check the FPNSW website for updates on the project.

Want more info about sexual health?

Family Planning NSW provides a range of services for young people in reproductive and sexual health. We offer:

• Youth-friendly clinics all over NSW
• A website packed with info about sexual and reproductive health in our Factsheets
• Talkline: our free and confidential information line. For straight answers to those tricky questions, phone 1300 658 886
• Talkline email service: a free and confidential email service. Click here for more info.

For further information

Contact Liz Hammond via phone on (02) 8752 4324 or email at research@fpnsw.org.au.