Table 13

Avoiding AIDS

Do you take any special steps or precautions to avoid catching AIDS, or not?

Harris
1/1985

Harris
11/1987

PSRA
11-12/1992

Yes

41%

49%

60%

No

57

0

39

Not Sure

2

1

1

(1256)

(1250)

(1250)

CBS/NYT: Is there anything in particular you have done to avoid getting AIDS?

ABC/WP & Roper: Is there anything you yourself are doing to avoid exposing yourself to AIDS?

ABC/WP
9/85

CBS/NYT
9/85

CBS/NYT
10/86

ABC/WP
3/87

Roper
3/87

ABC/WP
6/90

CBS/NYT
6/93

Yes

22%

13%

18%

37%

43%

54%

49%

No

77

85

80

63

53

45

49

Don't Know

1

2

1

--

4

1

2

(1512)

( 762)

( 823)

(1511)

(1017)

(1020)

(1347)

What is that?

Cut down on sexual activity

2

1

--

3

1

--

Avoided oral sex

*

--

--

*

1

--

Avoided anal sex

--

--

--

*

1

--

Avoided prostitutes

--

--

--

*

1

--

Avoided homosexual sex

--

1

1

--

--

--

Avoid kissing

--

--

*

--

--

--

Limited number of sex partners

1

--

*

3

10

19

Monogamy

2

--

3

7

12

--^a

Abstained

*

--

1

3

5

7

Used condoms^b

*

--

1

4

10

12

Knew sexual history of partners^c

--

2

3

1

1

--

Slept only with partners who had tested negative for HIV

--

--

--

1

1

--

Note: Multiple responses allowed. It is not known how many reported one or more sexually related precautions. All categories explicitly relating to sexual behavior are listed above. Some sexual activity may also be referred under vague categories like "Change lifestyle" and "Avoid homosexuals." Different surveys used different coding schemes for responses so the comparisons are approximate only.

*=less than 0.5%

^aThe absence of a Monogamy category in the 1993 CBS/NYT survey probably explains the increase of responses coded under the Limited sexual partners category.

^b"Use condoms/Practice safe sex" in 1993 CBS/NYT survey.

^c"Careful who date" in 1985 CBS/NYT survey; "Practice care with people dating" and "Select sex partners more carefully" in 1986 CBS/NYT survey.

NORC: Have you made any kind of changes in your sexual behavior because of AIDS? IF SO: What have you changed?

1992

Any Change

29%

Used condoms more frequently

9

Monogamy

8

Abstinence

3

Fewer partners

3

More careful in selecting
  partners/Get to know
   partners

8

Less frequent sex

1

More careful (unspecified)

2

Other

8

Source: Feinleib and Michael, 1998

Note: Multiple responses allowed.

Table 14

Number of Sexual Partners

A. Trends

% with total number of lifetime sexual partners among high school students

2+

4+

1989

40

24

1990

--

19

1991

35

19

1993

--

19

Prob.

<.05

<.05^a

Source: Moore, et al., 1992 and Divs. of Epidemiology and Prevention; Adolescent and School Health; Reproductive Health, 1992; and "Youth Risk Behavior Survey," 1995.

^probability test for 1989-1991 only.

% with 4+ sex partners, Ages 14-21

1992

14-17

13.3

14-19

15.9

14-21

63.0

18-21

41.3

Sources: Divs. of Adolescent and School Health and Health Interview Statistics, 1994a and 1994b

% with 4+ Male Lifetime Sexual Partners, Sexually Experienced Women 15-44

1988

43.1

1990

47.1

1995

46.9-49.2

Note: Higher figured based on self-completion form. Lower number should be more comparable to earlier figures.

Source: Mosher and Pratt, 1993 and Abma, et al., 1997

% with 4+ male sex partners in last 12 months, Unmarried Women, 15-44 in 1995

Interview

Self-
Completion

All

3.3

8.6

15-29

3.7

7.4

20-24

4.6

11.2

25-29

2.9

9.0

30-34

2.9

8.7

35-39

2.7

8.3

40-44

1.2

5.7

Source: Abma, et al., 1997

Last 12 months, Adults

None

1

2

3

4

5-9

10-19

20+

Mean

1988

19.8

67.2

5.0

3.2

1.8

2.0

0.6

0.5

1.49

1989

19.0

68.7

6.3

3.0

1.3

1.6

0.1

0.1

1.14

1990

16.3

71.4

5.6

2.6

1.6

1.7

0.1

0.6

1.58

1991

18.4

71.2

5.9

1.9

0.8

1.4

0.3

0.1

1.12

1993

17.4

72.0

5.6

2.1

1.4

1.3

0.2

0.1

1.12

1994

18.4

70.6

6.0

2.4

1.1

1.2

0.2

0.1

1.09

1996

15.1

72.2

6.1

3.2

1.6

1.3

0.3

0.2

1.28

1998

17.4

70.7

6.0

2.2

1.5

1.4

0.3

0.1

1.24

Prob.

.000

Last 5 Years, Adults

1991

11.3

60.3

8.3

6.7

3.3

6.0

2.7

1.5

2.70

1993

12.6

59.0

8.5

6.5

4.5

6.2

2.0

0.8

2.42

1994

11.1

59.4

8.6

7.2

4.1

6.4

1.8

1.4

2.79

1996

10.0

57.8

10.2

7.2

4.7

6.4

2.2

1.2

2.83

1998

11.2

59.0

9.2

6.0

4.7

5.7

2.0

0.9

2.50

Prob.

.281

Source: GSS, 1998

Since Age 18, Adults

Mean Number of Sexual Partners

1989

6.8-7.2^a

1990

6.5-7.0

1991

7.4-8.1

1993

7.4-8.0

1994

8.4-9.0

1996

8.9-9.5

1998

7.5-7.8

Prob.

.006-.011

Source: GSS, 1998

^several different techniques were used to handle item non-response. The above figures represent the low and high estimates based on how missing data are estimated.

Number of Sexual Partners

B. Socio-demographic Groups

% with 2+ Sex Partners

Last 12 Months

Last 5 Years

Gender

Men

16.9

37.0

Women

9.4

24.7

Prob.

.000

.000

Race

Whites

11.0

28.3

Blacks

21.6

44.4