Are teens open to the abstinence message, and can they successfully practice abstinence before marriage?
Teens view abstinence favorably. Almost all teens (94 percent) believe that teens should be given a strong message from society to abstain from sex until at least after high school. 7 Also, two-thirds of all sexually experienced teens said they wished they had waited longer to become sexually active. 8 Moreover, most teens think highly of virginity. In 2003, 73 percent of teens surveyed said they are not embarrassed to admit they are virgins. 9 Increasing numbers of high school students are practicing abstinence. The Centers for Disease Control reports that the percentage of teens who have had premarital sex declined during the 1990s. In 1991, 54 percent of teens said they had had sex, compared to 47 percent in 2003. 10 The decline was particularly notable among teen boys. In 1991, 57 percent of high school boys said they had had sex, compared to 48 percent in 2003. 11 Written by Bridget Maher, Family Research Council. References: 1 “The Content of Federally Funded Abstinence-Only Educ
