Advertisement

What a new study says about the sex lives of young Swiss people

The Local
The Local - [email protected]
What a new study says about the sex lives of young Swiss people
So how was it for you? File photo: Depositphotos"

A major new study into the sexual into the sexual health and behaviour of young Swiss people was released on Thursday.

Advertisement

Here are some of the key findings of the online survey of just over 7,000 people aged from 24 to 26 in Switzerland.

First sexual contact at age 16

The mean age of first sexual contact in Switzerland is just under 17. For the first experience of vaginal sex, it is just under 18, with most of these experiences taking place within the context of a steady relationship.

For 64 percent of men, that first experience of vaginal sex was ‘pleasant’ or ‘very pleasant’ while 69 percent of women described it as ‘unpleasant’, ‘very unpleasant’ or ‘neutral’.

The rise of online dating and phone sex

The study found that just over one in three young men (33 percent) and 22 percent of women had had sex with someone they met online.

Read also: Looking for love? Here's how to date the Swiss

Meanwhile, around three in four young men and women said they had sent a ‘sexy’ text message with or without a photo or video of themselves.

Homosexual experiences and feelings

Some 15 percent of women and 13 percent of men said they had homosexual or bisexual experiences, with the mean age of their first such experience being 16.

At the same time, 90 percent of young men and women stated they were only attracted to members of the opposite sex, with just 1.8 percent of women stating they were attracted to women.

A small number of people (0.6 percent of women and 0.4 percent of men) said they were not attracted to anybody at all.

Types of sex practised

Some 96 percent of survey respondents had engaged in oral sex. Almost the same amount, 95 percent, had had vaginal sex. Just under half (49 percent) of both men and women said they had anal sex, with the mean age of that first experience of anal sex being 21 for both groups.

Young people are using protection

Most young people (93 percent) said they had used contraception the first time they had sex, with male condoms the most common form. However, when it came to their most recent sexual experience, there was an even split between the use of condoms and the female pill.

Sexual dysfunction

Nearly one in five young men (17.5 percent) said they suffered from erectile dysfunction although only a tiny percentage indicated this problem was “moderate or severe”. Around one in nine young women said they experienced some kind of sexual dysfunction.

Unwanted sexual experiences

One in four young Swiss women said they have had an unwanted sexual experience while that figure is 8 percent for young Swiss men.

These situations do not involve force or coercion but have characteristics involve regretting a sexual act, misperception of a sexual act and misunderstanding between partners, according to the study authors.

The study also found that just over half of young women surveyed (53 percent) had had sexual intercourse without really wanting to, with keeping their partner happy being the main reason cited for doing so. For men, this figure was 23 percent.

One in six young women have been sexually assaulted

A total 15.9 percent of women said they had been the victim of a sexual assault or abuse. Meanwhile, 3 percent of men said this was the case. The mean age of the first instance of sexual assault or abuse for both men and women was just under 15.

Read also: 'Oh God, I'm coming' - noise row goes public

The Sexual health and behaviour of young people in Switzerland study was published by the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine in Lausanne. For more information, click here.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also