Number 36 n March 3, 2011

Sexual Behavior, Sexual Attraction, and Sexual
 

Identity in the United States: Data From the 2006–2008
 

National Survey of Family Growth
 by Anjani Chandra, Ph.D., William D. Mosher, Ph.D., and Casey Copen, Ph.D., Division of Vital Statistics,

National Center for Health Statistics; and Catlainn Sionean, Ph.D., Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention,

National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention

Abstract

Objective—This report presents national estimates of several measures of

sexual behavior, sexual attraction, and sexual identity among males and females

aged 15–44 years in the United States, based on the 2006–2008 National Survey

of Family Growth (NSFG). These data are relevant to demographic and public

health concerns, including fertility and sexually transmitted infections among

teenagers and adults. Data from the 2006–2008 NSFG are compared with data

from the 2002 NSFG and other national surveys.

Methods—Data for 2006–2008 were collected through in-person interviews

with a national sample of 13,495 males and females in the household population

of the United States. The measures presented in this report were collected using

audio computer-assisted self interviewing (ACASI), in which the respondent

enters his or her own answers into the computer without telling them to an

interviewer. The overall response rate for the 2006–2008 NSFG was 75%.

Results—Sexual behaviors among males and females aged 15–44 based on

the 2006–2008 NSFG were generally similar to those reported based on the 2002

NSFG. Among adults aged 25–44, about 98% of women and 97% of men ever

had vaginal intercourse, 89% of women and 90% of men ever had oral sex with

an opposite-sex partner, and 36% of women and 44% of men ever had anal sex

with an opposite-sex partner. Twice as many women aged 25–44 (12%) reported

any same-sex contact in their lifetimes compared with men (5.8%). Among

teenagers aged 15–19, 7% of females and 9% of males have had oral sex with an

opposite-sex partner, but no vaginal intercourse. Sexual attraction and identity

correlates closely but not completely with reports of sexual behavior. Sexual

behaviors, attraction, and identity vary by age, marital or cohabiting status,

education, and race and Hispanic origin.

Keywords: oral sex • anal sex • sexual orientation

Introduction

This report presents national

estimates for several types of sexual

behavior among men and women aged

15–44 years in the United States in

2006–2008, as well as measures of

sexual attraction and identity for adults

aged 18–44. These behaviors and

characteristics are relevant to birth and

pregnancy rates, as well as to the

incidence of sexually transmitted

infections (STIs), including human

immunodeficiency virus (HIV)—the

virus that causes acquired immune

deficiency syndrome (AIDS) (1–3). The

Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC) estimates that about

19 million new cases of STIs occur each

year (2). About one-half of all STIs

occur among persons aged 15–24, and

the direct medical cost of these diseases

for that age group alone was estimated

at $6.5 billion in the year 2000 (4). In

2008, CDC estimated that rates of

chlamydia increased, and the largest

numbers of reported cases of chlamydia

and gonorrhea were among teenagers

aged 15–19 (5). These recent data also

suggest that there were significant racial

disparities in the rates of reportable STIs

in the United States in 2008, particularly

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

National Center for Health Statistics 
Page 2	 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011

among teens and young adults. Among

women, black teenagers aged 15–19 had

the highest rates of chlamydia and

gonorrhea, followed by black women

aged 20–24 (5).

With regard to HIV/AIDS,

approximately 50,000 Americans are

diagnosed with HIV each year (6), and

over 1 million Americans are currently

living with HIV (1). Although current

HIV medications have substantially

increased life expectancy (7), the

medical costs are substantial, averaging

approximately $20,000 per year for each

person in care (8). These infections not

only affect HIV-positive individuals but

may also be transmitted to spouses and

partners, and among pregnant women, to

their babies. Data for HIV/AIDS cases

(in 37 states with confidential namebased reporting) in 2008 suggest that

54% of HIV cases diagnosed in 2008

were transmitted by same-sex sexual

contact among males, and another 32%

by heterosexual sexual contact.

Therefore, approximately 86% of HIV

cases were acquired through sexual

behavior (1).

A previous report on sexual

behavior and selected health measures

used data from the 2002 National

Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) to

present national estimates of some basic

statistics on certain types of sexual

behavior, sexual identity, and sexual

attraction in the United States that have

public health significance (9). The

present report contains more recent data

from the 2006–2008 NSFG on the

following topics:

+ Numbers of opposite-sex sexual

partners in the past year and in

lifetime for persons aged 15–44

(Tables 1–4).

+ Types of sexual behavior (including

opposite-sex and same-sex partners)

among persons aged 15–44 (Tables 5

and 6, and Figure 1).

+ Types of sexual behavior (including

opposite-sex and same-sex partners)

among persons aged 15–24 (Tables 7

and 8, and Figure 2).

+ Numbers of sexual partners (oppositesex and same-sex) in the past year

among persons aged 15–44 (Table 9).

+	 Same-sex sexual activity among

persons aged 15–44 (Table 10).

+	 Sexual attraction and sexual identity

among persons aged 18–44

(Tables 11–13).

+	 Association of sexual behavior,

sexual attraction, and sexual identity

(Tables 14 and 15).

Improvements were made in some of

the questions in NSFG, and some new

items have been collected on these

topics to improve the utility of the data.

Comparisons with Cycle 6 (2002) of

NSFG and other national surveys

(Table 16) are made to the extent

possible to shed light on the reliability

of the results and to suggest whether

any marked trends have occurred.

Selected Previous

Studies

In addition to NSFG, several

nationally representative studies of

sexual behavior have been conducted in

the United States in the last two

decades. These surveys were based on

in-person interviews and used national

probability samples. The surveys

include:

+	 The National Survey of Men (10,11),

conducted in 1991 with 3,321 men

aged 20–39.

+	 The National Health and Social Life

Survey (NHSLS), conducted in 1992

with 3,432 men and women aged

18–59 (12,13).

+	 The General Social Survey (GSS),

which has included some questions

on sexual behavior in its national

samples of adults aged 18 and over

since 1988 (14–17).

In addition, some surveys limited to

teenagers have collected data on some

aspects of sexual behavior, including

CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey—a

biennial school-based survey of high

school students that included data on

condom use, sexual intercourse, and

numbers of sexual partners (18). The

Urban Institute’s National Surveys of

Adolescent Males collected data on the

sexual activity and contraceptive use of

national samples of males aged 15–19 in

1988 and 1995 (19). In 2009,

researchers at Indiana University

conducted the National Survey of

Sexual Health and Behavior

(NSSHB)—an Internet-based study of

sexual behaviors among adolescents and

adults called. NSSHB asked about

behaviors in a sample of 5,865 men and

women aged 14–94 (20). Other national

studies that examined sexual behaviors

in the general population are referenced

in our previous report on sexual

behavior (9).

Methods

Data source

NSFG has been conducted seven

times by CDC’s National Center for

Health Statistics (NCHS): in 1973 and

1976 with samples of married and

formerly married women; in 1982, 1988,

and 1995 with samples of women of all

marital status categories; and in 2002

and 2006–2010 with national samples of

both women and men aged 15–44. Each

time, the interviews have been

conducted in person by trained female

interviewers in the selected persons’

homes. The current report is based on

the first data release from the 2006–

2010 NSFG, specifically those

interviews conducted from June 2006

through December 2008 and referred to

as the 2006–2008 NSFG. The 2006–

2008 NSFG is a nationally

representative, multistage probability

sample drawn from 85 areas across the

United States. The sample is designed to

produce national, not state, estimates.

Large areas (counties and cities) were

chosen first; within each large area or

‘‘primary sampling unit,’’ groups of

adjacent blocks, called segments, were

chosen at random. In each segment,

addresses were listed and some

addresses were sampled at random. The

sampled addresses were visited in

person, and a short ‘‘screener’’ interview

was conducted to see whether anyone

aged 15–44 lived there. If so, one

person was chosen at random for the

interview and was offered a chance to

participate. To protect the respondent’s

privacy, only one person was

interviewed in each selected household.

In 2006–2008, as well as in 2002,

teenagers and black and Hispanic adults

were sampled at higher rates than

others. The final sample for 2006–2008
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011 Page 3

consisted of 13,495 respondents aged

15–44—7,356 females and 6,139 males.

All respondents were given written

and oral information about the survey

and were informed that participation

was voluntary. Adult respondents aged

18–44 were asked to sign a consent

form but were not required to do so. For

minors aged 15–17, signed consent was

required first from a parent or guardian,

and then signed assent was required

from the minor; if either the parent or

the minor declined to give written

consent, the minor did not participate in

the survey. Respondents were assured

that the confidentiality of their

information would be protected. The

response rate for the 2006–2008 NSFG

was 75% overall—76% for women and

73% for men.

Over the course of fieldwork in

2006–2010, about 100 female

interviewers were hired and trained by

the survey contractor, the University of

Michigan’s Institute for Social Research,

under the supervision of NCHS. At any

point in the data collection period,

40–45 interviewers were in the field

conducting NSFG interviews.

Respondents in the 2006–2010 survey

were offered $40 as a ‘‘token of

appreciation’’ for their participation.

NSFG questionnaires and materials were

reviewed and approved by both the

CDC/NCHS Research Ethics Review

Board and the University of Michigan

Institutional Review Board. The female

questionnaire lasted an average of about

80 minutes, and the male questionnaire

lasted about 60 minutes.

More detailed information about the

methods and procedures of NSFG and

its sample design, weighting,

imputation, and variance estimation has

been published (21,22). Results of the

2006–2008 NSFG on vaginal

intercourse, contraceptive use, and

childbearing experience of teenagers

(23), and the contraceptive use of

women aged 15–44 (24), have also been

published. Forthcoming reports will

show national estimates of HIV risk and

testing for men and women aged 15–44,

similar to what was published from the

2002 NSFG (25,26).

Use of audio computerassisted self interviewing

(ACASI)

Much of the data in the survey were

collected by computer-assisted personal

interviewing, or CAPI, in which the

questionnaire was stored on a laptop

computer and administered by an

interviewer. Many of the variables

described in this report were collected

using ACASI. The ACASI portion of the

NSFG interview was significantly

expanded for the 2002 and 2006–2010

surveys in response to the need for

reliable, general population-based

national data on sexual and drug

behavior related to HIV/AIDS and other

STIs, as well as data on sexual identity

measures (25,27–29). NSFG staff

worked with CDC’s Division of

HIV/AIDS Prevention, other

collaborating agencies, and experts who

had conducted surveys on closely

related topics (10–14), to develop

appropriate questions for this purpose.

In ACASI the respondent listens to the

questions through headphones, reads

them on the screen, or both, and enters

the response directly into the computer.

This method avoids asking the

respondent to give his or her answers to

the interviewer, and it has been found to

yield more complete reporting of

sensitive behaviors (30). ACASI may

also make it possible for persons with

lower literacy to complete the self

interview by listening to the questions

instead of reading them. All data on

sexual behavior shown in this report

were collected using ACASI.

Demographic variables used

in this report

The data on sexual behavior,

attraction, and identity presented in this

report are shown with respect to several

key background or demographic

characteristics—including age, marital or

cohabiting status, educational

attainment, and Hispanic origin and

race. Age of respondent and educational

attainment reflect status at time of

interview. Educational attainment is

shown based only on respondents aged

22–44 because large percentages of

those aged 15–21 are still attending

school. Using the full 15–44 age range

would potentially underestimate the

percentage of persons with a college

degree. The definition of marital or

cohabiting status used in this report also

reflects status at time of interview and

includes only those relationships with

opposite-sex spouses or partners, in

keeping with the recoded variables that

have been defined across all NSFG

surveys to date. Although it is

theoretically possible to construct a

measure of same-sex cohabitation using

the NSFG household roster information,

the sample sizes reporting these

relationships do not permit analyses for

this population subgroup.

The definitions of Hispanic origin

and race used in this report take into

account the reporting of more than one

race, in accordance with 1997 guidelines

from the Office of Management and

Budget. However, the 2006–2008

NSFG’s sample does not include

sufficient numbers of respondents of

multiple-race or single-race groups other

than black and white to be able to show

more detail in the tables. For

convenience in writing, the term

‘‘black’’ or ‘‘non-Hispanic black’’ will

be used instead of the full phrase,

‘‘non-Hispanic black or African

American, single race.’’ Similarly, the

term ‘‘white’’ or ‘‘non-Hispanic white’’

will be used instead of the full phrase,

‘‘non-Hispanic white, single race.’’ The

full forms of these category labels are

shown in the tables. Further technical

details and definitions of terms

associated with the demographic

variables used in this report can be

found in earlier NSFG reports (23,24

and 31,32).

In this report, the term

‘‘intercourse’’ refers to heterosexual

vaginal intercourse. The terms ‘‘sex’’ or

‘‘sexual contact’’ refer to all types of

sexual activity, including vaginal

intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex, either

with opposite-sex or same-sex partners.

All measures related to sexual behavior,

attraction, and identity as used in this

report are described in more detail in

the following text.
Page 4	 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011

Measurement of sexual

behavior in NSFG ACASI

This section defines the sexual

behaviors and related variables

presented in this report, in part by

showing the wording of the questions

asking about them. NSFG is historically

and primarily a study used to measure

factors related to pregnancy and birth

rates (24,32,33). For this purpose, much

of the main part of the interview,

administered by the interviewer, is

focused on behaviors most closely

related to birth and pregnancy

rates—namely, heterosexual vaginal

intercourse, contraceptive use, infertility,

breastfeeding, and heterosexual marriage

and cohabitation. The self-administered,

or ACASI part of the interview, includes

questions on a wider range of sexual

activities—including oral and anal sex

with opposite-sex partners and sexual

contact with same-sex partners— to

address more factors related to risk of

HIV and other STIs.

The wording of the NSFG questions

on sexual behaviors was based on

wording used in previous studies, along

with consultations with the directors of

many of those studies and other experts.

As described earlier, answering

questions in ACASI means that

respondents saw the question text on the

computer screen, or heard the question

through headphones, or both. They

entered their responses directly into the

laptop computer and were routed by the

interview program to the next applicable

question. Between Cycle 6 (2002) and

the 2006–2008 NSFG, there were a few

small changes made to the ACASI

portion of the interview for males and

females, such as improvements in

routing, changes in question wording,

and changes to response categories to

improve clarity. The NSFG User’s

Guide Appendix 5, ‘‘Summary of NSFG

Questionnaire Changes’’ provides a

detailed list of these changes (33). The

User’s Guide supplement for the

2006–2008 ACASI data files also

provides detail on the changes made

from Cycle 6 (2002) (34).

Below is the question wording

related to types of sexual behavior in

the NSFG ACASI section for 2006–

2008. All of these questions were not

asked in the actual sequence shown

below. To see the questions in their full

context, with intervening questions,

please see the full questionnaires on the

NSFG webpage (http://www.cdc.gov/

nchs/nsfg.htm).

Types of sexual behavior for

female respondents

The question on vaginal intercourse

with a male partner was only asked in

ACASI for those female respondents

who did not provide clear evidence of

intercourse in the intervieweradministered portion of the interview.

Specifically, if the respondent had ever

been married or cohabited with a male

partner or if she had ever been pregnant,

she was not asked again in ACASI

about vaginal intercourse. The question

wording for all other respondents was as

follows:

Has a male ever put his penis in your

vagina (also known as vaginal

intercourse)?

All female respondents answered

two questions on oral sex with male

partners and one question on anal sex

with male partners. The two questions

on oral sex with a male partner are

shown below, following a preface:

The next few questions are about oral

sex. By oral sex, we mean stimulating

the genitals with the mouth.

+	 Has a male ever performed oral sex

on you?

+	 Have you ever performed oral sex on

a male? That is, have you ever

stimulated his penis with your mouth?

Below is the question female

respondents were asked about anal sex

with a male:

+	 Has a male ever put his penis in your

rectum or butt (also known as anal

sex)?

With regard to same-sex sexual

partners, female respondents were asked

up to three questions on sexual contact

with female partners, following a

preface:

The next questions ask about sexual

experiences you may had with another

female.

+	 Have you ever performed oral sex on

another female?

+	 Has another female ever performed

oral sex on you?

If the respondent answered ‘‘no’’ to both

of the above questions on oral sex with

a female partner, then she was asked the

more general question that mirrors the

single question that females were asked

on same-sex experience in the 2002

NSFG.

+	 Have you ever had any sexual

experience of any kind with another

female?

A ‘‘yes’’ answer to any of these three

questions was classified as ‘‘same-sex

sexual behavior’’ for females. The more

specific behavioral questions on oral sex

with a female partner were added for

the 2006–2008 NSFG due to concerns

that the single question asked in 2002

was too vague to be interpretable and

could not be compared with the male

data on same-sex sexual experience.

Types of sexual behavior for male

respondents

As for female respondents, the

question on vaginal intercourse was only

asked in ACASI for those male

respondents who did not provide clear

evidence of intercourse in the

interviewer-administered portion of the

interview. Specifically, if the respondent

had ever been married or cohabited with

a female partner or if he had ever

fathered a pregnancy, he was not asked

again in ACASI about vaginal

intercourse. The question wording for all

other respondents was as follows:

Have you ever put your penis in a

female’s vagina (also known as vaginal

intercourse)?

All male respondents answered two

questions on oral sex with female

partners and one question on anal sex

with female partners. The two questions

on oral sex with a female partner are

shown below, following a preface:

The next few questions are about oral

sex. By oral sex, we mean stimulating

the genitals with the mouth.
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011	 Page 5

+ Has a female ever performed oral sex

on you, that is, stimulated your penis

with her mouth?

+ Have you ever performed oral sex on

a female?

Below is the question male respondents

were asked about anal sex with a

female:

+ Have you ever put your penis in a

female’s rectum or butt (also known

as anal sex)?

With regard to same-sex sexual

partners, male respondents were asked

four questions on same-sex sexual

contact with male partners, following a

preface:

The next questions ask about sexual

experiences you may have had with

another male. Have you ever done any

of the following with another male?

+ Have you ever performed oral sex on

another male, that is, stimulated his

penis with your mouth?

+ Has another male ever performed

oral sex on you, that is, stimulated

your penis with his mouth?

+ Has another male ever put his penis

in your rectum or butt (anal sex)?

+ Have you ever put your penis in his

rectum or butt (anal sex)?

A ‘‘yes’’ answer to any of these four

questions was classified as ‘‘same-sex

sexual behavior.’’ A ‘‘yes’’ to either of

the oral sex questions was classified as

‘‘any oral sex with a male,’’ and a

‘‘yes’’ answer to either of the anal sex

questions was classified as ‘‘any anal

sex with a male.’’ Unlike the question

series for female respondents in the

NSFG’s ACASI, male respondents who

answered ‘‘no’’ to all four of the

specific behavioral questions were not

asked a more general question about

‘‘any sexual experience of any kind with

a male partner.’’

Numbers of opposite-sex sexual

partners

In the 2006–2008 NSFG ACASI, all

respondents who reported ever having

vaginal, oral, or anal sex with an

opposite-sex partner were asked their

total numbers of opposite-sex partners in

their lifetime (to time of interview) and

in the last 12 months. These questions

are shown in the following text as

worded for females, and analogous

questions were asked for males. The

phrasing of the prefatory sentence is due

to the placement of this question right

after a series of questions about

nonvoluntary vaginal intercourse.

Number of male (opposite-sex)

partners in lifetime:

This next question is also about your

male sex partners. This time, think

about any male with whom you have

had vaginal intercourse, oral sex, or

anal sex—any of these.

Thinking about your entire life, how

many male sex partners have you had?

Please count every partner, even those

you had sex with only once.

Number of male (opposite-sex)

partners in last 12 months:

Thinking about the last 12 months, how

many male sex partners have you had in

the 12 months since [appropriate

month/year filled in]? Please count

every partner, even those you had sex

with only once in those 12 months.

Numbers of same-sex sexual

partners

All respondents who reported ever

having any same-sex sexual experience

were asked their total number of

same-sex partners in their lifetimes and

in the last 12 months. Again, these

questions are shown below as worded

for females, and analogous questions

were asked for males.

Number of female (same-sex)

partners in lifetime:

Thinking about your entire life, how

many female sex partners have you

had?

Number of female (same-sex)

partners in last 12 months:

Thinking about the last 12 months, how

many female sex partners have you had

in the 12 months since [appropriate

month/year filled in]?

Please count every partner, even those

you had sex with only once in those 12

months.

For one table in the report

(Table 9), the total number of partners in

the last 12 months was defined based on

opposite-sex and same-sex partners.

Because the numbers of respondents

reporting more than one same-sex

partner in the last year was too small to

show separately, the table groups all

those who reported any same-sex

partners in the last year. Those who had

no same-sex partners in the last year are

broken down by their number of

opposite-sex partners in the last year

(one compared with two or more).

Measurement of sexual

attraction and identity

In ACASI, all respondents were

also asked questions on sexual attraction

and sexual identity. Based on prior

analyses with the 2002 NSFG (9) and

NCHS cognitive lab testing results

based on the National Health and

Nutrition Examination Survey

(NHANES) (35), the sexual identity

response categories were modified for

2006–2008 to include additional words

that respondents may recognize more

readily. The ‘‘heterosexual’’ category

was reworded to say ‘‘heterosexual or

straight.’’ The ‘‘homosexual’’ category

was changed to say ‘‘homosexual or

gay’’ for men and ‘‘homosexual, gay, or

lesbian’’ for women.

For females, the questions were as

follows:

People are different in their sexual

attraction to other people. Which best

describes your feelings? Are you. . .

+ Only attracted to males

+ Mostly attracted to males

+	 Equally attracted to males and

females

+ Mostly attracted to females

+ Only attracted to females

+ Not sure

Do you think of yourself as. . .

+ Heterosexual or straight

+ Homosexual, gay, or lesbian

+ Bisexual

+ Something else
Page 6	 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011

For males, these questions were as

follows:

People are different in their sexual

attraction to other people. Which best

describes your feelings? Are you. . .

+ Only attracted to females

+ Mostly attracted to females

+ Equally attracted to females and

males

+ Mostly attracted to males

+ Only attracted to males

+ Not sure
 

Do you think of yourself as. . .
 

+ Heterosexual or straight
 

+ Homosexual or gay
 

+ Bisexual
 

+ Something else
 

Given the higher-than-expected

percentages reporting ‘‘something else’’

in the 2002 NSFG (3.8%–3.9%), ACASI

respondents who answered ‘‘something

else’’ in the 2006–2008 NSFG were

asked a follow-up question to clarify

what they meant:

When you say ‘‘something else,’’ what

do you mean? Please type in your

answer.

Based on their verbatim, typed

responses, a number of respondents who

had answered ‘‘something else’’ could

be unambiguously classified (or

‘‘back-coded’’) into the provided

response categories. Due to significantly

lower levels of ‘‘something else’’ seen

in the original, pre-back-coded data

from 2006–2008, as well as the expense

of administering and coding this

follow-up question, the ‘‘something

else’’ response option, along with the

verbatim follow-up, was dropped

beginning in July 2008. NSFG

respondents interviewed after this point

either chose one of the three response

categories provided or chose ‘‘don’t

know’’ or ‘‘refused,’’ as is allowed on

any question in the survey. In this

report, all respondents who chose ‘‘don’t

know’’ or ‘‘refused’’ are grouped as

‘‘did not report.’’ For further information

on NSFG’s measurement of sexual

identity, see the Technical Notes section.

Strengths and limitations of

the data

The data presented in this report are

primarily from the 2006–2008 NSFG,

which has a number of strengths for

studying sexual behavior in the U.S.

population:

+	 NSFG has a rigorous probability

sampling design, so the estimates can

be generalized to the national

population.

+	 The response rate for NSFG was

75%, which is considered high in

household survey research, and

suggests that the data for most

statistics can be generalized to the

population with confidence.

+	 Questions asked on NSFG have

undergone testing and review in an

effort to make them understandable to

persons participating in the survey.

For example, a pretest was conducted

before the Cycle 6 (2002) NSFG that

included a number of randomized

experiments to test ideas from the

survey methodology literature to

improve data collection (36). In

addition, most of the ACASI

questions used in this report were

also asked in the 2002 NSFG, and

some were refined as a result of that

experience (34).

+	 Sensitive questions associated with

sexual behavior, reproductive health,

or drug abuse were collected using

ACASI methods, which have been

found to yield more complete

reporting of sensitive behaviors, and

they also avoid the large amounts of

missing data often found due to

routing mistakes through selfadministered paper-and-pencil

questionnaires (9,30).

+	 The questionnaire was administered

in both English and Spanish; those

who preferred to answer the interview

in Spanish were interviewed by

bilingual interviewers. The translation

of the questionnaire into Spanish was

done with particular attention to

making it understandable and

culturally appropriate for major

Hispanic groups, including Mexican

and Puerto Rican, and to recent

immigrants and those with limited

education (37).

The data included in this report also

have some limitations:

+	 As a household-based sample survey,

NSFG excludes from the sampling

frame those who are currently

homeless, incarcerated or otherwise

institutionalized, and those living on

military bases in the United States.

(The NSFG sample does include

respondents with past experience with

military service or incarceration who

currently live in the household

population, including respondents on

active duty with the military, but not

living on military bases.) To the

extent that groups excluded from the

NSFG sample may have different

patterns of sexual behavior, the

survey results cannot be generalized

to those populations.

+	 As in any survey, nonsampling error

could affect the results. NSFG makes

use of extensive quality control

procedures to try to minimize the

effects of such errors (21,22).

+	 The results could be affected by

underreporting of sensitive behaviors,

although using ACASI has been

found to yield more complete

reporting of these items than other

types of questionnaires (30).

+	 NSFG provides national estimates,

but is not designed to provide state or

local estimates of the behaviors

described in this report.

+	 The age range of NSFG is 15–44

years. Therefore, it is not possible to

measure the sexual behavior of those

outside that age range.

+	 Given the sample size of the

2006–2008 NSFG, the numbers of

men and women in the sample who

have had sexual contact with

same-sex partners, while larger than

in most other studies, are still

relatively small, so the sampling

errors of percentages for these groups

are larger than they are for larger

groups. It also means that the amount

of subgroup analysis (for example, by

age, race or ethnicity, and other

characteristics) that can done for

these populations is limited.
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011 Page 7

+ ?The scope of this report is limited to

a few measures of sexual behavior,

attraction, and identity that could be

studied within the sample sizes of the

2006–2008 NSFG. With the release

of the larger 2006–2010 NSFG data,

more detailed and statistically

powerful subgroup analyses will be

possible.

Statistical analysis

All estimates in this report are

based on sampling weights that are

designed to produce unbiased estimates

for the approximately 124 million men

and women aged 15–44 in the United

States. The statistical package SAS,

Version 9.2, was used to produce all

estimates of percentages and numbers in

this report (http://www.sas.com).

SUDAAN software was used to estimate

the sampling errors of the statistics; this

software takes into account the use of

weighted data and the complex design

of the sample in calculating estimates of

standard errors and significance tests

(http://www.rti.org/sudaan/). Each table

in this report includes standard errors as

a measure of the precision of each point

estimate, including all percentages and

medians.

Significance of differences among

subgroups was determined by standard

two-tailed t tests using point estimates

and their standard errors. For selected

comparisons, chi-square tests of overall

association were also performed within

SUDAAN’s Proc Crosstab. No

adjustments were made for multiple

comparisons. Terms such as ‘‘greater

than’’ and ‘‘less than’’ indicate that a

statistically significant difference was

found. Terms such as ‘‘similar’’ or ‘‘no

difference’’ indicate that the statistics

being compared were not significantly

different. Lack of comment regarding

the difference does not mean that

significance was tested and ruled out.

In the description of the results in

the following text, when the percentage

being cited is below 10%, the text will

cite the exact percentage to one decimal

point. To make reading easier and to

remind the reader that the results are

based on samples and subject to

sampling error, percentages above 10%

will generally be shown rounded to the

nearest whole percent. Readers should

pay close attention to the sampling

errors for small groups, such as

subgroups of teenagers or persons who

report same-sex sexual behavior. In this

report, percentages are not shown if the

denominator is less than 100 cases, or

the numerator is less than five cases.

When a percentage or other statistic is

not shown for this reason, the table

contains an asterisk signifying that the

‘‘statistic does not meet standards of

reliability or precision.’’ For most

statistics presented in this report, the

numerators and denominators are much

larger.

Results

Numbers of opposite-sex

sexual partners in the last 12

months and in lifetime

among persons aged 15–44

(Tables 1–4)

Tables 1–4 give numbers of

opposite-sex sexual partners involving

vaginal, oral, or anal sex, as reported by

selected groups of men and women aged

15–44. The first two tables describe

numbers of partners in the past 12

months, and the latter two tables

summarize numbers of partners in

lifetime (defined as ‘‘to this point in

their lives’’ or ‘‘by time of interview’’).

Each table also compares the percent

distribution in 2006–2008 with what

was seen in Cycle 6 (2002). While it is

recognized that social network and

structural factors are also important in

explaining disparities across population

subgroups, studies have documented the

correlation of higher numbers of sexual

partners with increased risk and

prevalence of STIs (1,2,9,12,28,38).

Among women aged 15–44 in the

2006–2008 NSFG, 11% had never had

any form of sexual activity with a male

partner in their lives, 6.1% had sex in

their lifetime but had no opposite-sex

sexual activity in the past 12 months,

and 69% had one male partner in the

past 12 months. Nearly 8% had two

partners in the past year, and about 5%

had three or more partners in the past

year. These percentages were all similar

to the distribution of numbers of

partners seen in 2002. Given that sexual

experience is associated with age,

Table 1 also shows the distribution by

numbers of partners for women aged

25–44. Among women aged 25–44,

1.6% never had any form of sexual

activity with a male partner, 6.6% have

had sex with a male but not in the past

year, and 82% had one partner in the

past year. Having one partner in the past

12 months was more common at older

ages, presumably because more of these

women are married. Having one partner

in the past year was significantly more

common among married (97%) or

cohabiting (86%) women than those in

other groups. No significant difference

was seen by educational attainment in

the percentages reporting one partner in

the past year. However, women aged

22–44 with less than a high school

diploma were nearly twice as likely

(13%) to have had two or more partners

in the past 12 months as women with a

bachelor’s degree or higher (7%). No

difference was seen by race and

Hispanic origin in the percentages

reporting four or more partners in the

past year; however, non-Hispanic black

women were significantly less likely to

report one partner in the past year

(60%) relative to Hispanic women

(71%) and non-Hispanic white women

(70%). This difference in distribution

appears related to higher percentages of

black women reporting two partners in

the past year (12%) compared with

Hispanic (5.9%) and white women

(7.3%).

Among men aged 15–44 shown in

Table 2, the percentage distribution by

numbers of partners in the past year was

similar to the distribution for women in

2006–2008, and also for men in the

2002 survey. About 11% had no sexual

contact of any kind with a female

partner, 6.6% had no opposite-sex

contact in the past year, 63% had one

partner, 8.6% had two partners, and

roughly 10% had three or more partners.

Among men aged 25–44, similar

percentages as seen for women 25–44

had never had sexual contact with a

female (2.3%) or had sex in their

lifetime but not in the past year (6.3%).
Page 8	 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011

A lower percentage of men aged 25–44

(75%) than women aged 25–44 (82%)

reported having one partner in the past

year, likely due to the higher

percentages of men reporting higher

numbers of partners overall for the past

year. In general, the associations with

age, marital or cohabiting status,

education, and race and Hispanic origin

were also similar to what was seen for

women in 2006–2008. Of note,

somewhat lower percentages of men in

all race and Hispanic origin groups had

one partner in the past year—65% of

non-Hispanic white men, 61% of

Hispanic men, and 53% of non-Hispanic

black men, compared with 70%, 71%,

and 60% of their female counterparts.

Tables 3 and 4 show the total

numbers of opposite-sex sexual partners

of any type reported by men and women

to this point in their lives (called

‘‘lifetime’’ number here). These data

from 2006–2008 show little change

since the 2002 NSFG. Among women

aged 15–44, the median number of male

partners is 3.2 and in 2002 it was

essentially the same at 3.3. For men

aged 15–44, the median number of

female partners was 5.6 in 2002 and

remained similar at 5.1 in 2006–2008.

As in 2002 when 23% of men and 9%

of women reported 15 or more partners

in their lifetimes, men were more likely

than women to report 15 or more

partners in 2006–2008 (21% of men and

8% of women). This is likely to explain,

in part, the higher median number of

partners for males. These results are

consistent with prior findings from

surveys in the United States and other

countries, which all show that men on

average report higher numbers of

opposite-sex sexual partners than do

women of the same age range

(9,12,14,31,32). Several explanations for

this ubiquitous finding have been

suggested and all play some role in the

NSFG results presented here:

+ The possibility that survey

respondents are reporting sexual

partners outside the sample frame of

NSFG, such as:

o	 Partners outside the age range of

15–44, which would be quite

plausible given typical age gaps

between sexual partners or

spouses.

o	 Partners outside the general U.S.

household population (for

example, prison, military,

homeless, commercial sex

workers, partners in other

countries).

+	 The occurrence of extreme values in

the reporting of numbers of sexual

partners—for example, a small

proportion of men or women may be

reporting extremely high numbers,

and these values will skew the means

and possibly the median values if the

proportions of men reporting higher

numbers of partners are sufficiently

large compared with women—as seen

in the 2002 and 2006–2008 NSFG.

+	 Variations in what different groups of

respondents may include in their

counts of sexual partners, perhaps

defined by the type of sexual activity

involved, the duration or type of

relationship, and concurrency with

other partners (38–43).

+	 Overreporting by men and

underreporting by women may

accentuate the gender disparity

despite all efforts to improve the

accuracy of this self-reported,

sensitive information.

Despite variation in the self-reported

numbers of sexual partners reported

among men and women, number of

partners in lifetime has been shown to

be consistently reported in NSFG and

other nationally representative household

surveys (44), and, in the general

household population, remains correlated

with HIV (45) and other STIs

(1,2,9,12,38,46–50).

As expected, current age is the

strongest correlate shown in Tables 3

and 4 for numbers of partners in

lifetime. With regard to marital or

cohabiting status, formerly married,

noncohabiting men and women,

followed by current cohabitors, were

more likely to report 15 or more

opposite-sex partners and to have higher

median numbers than those in the other

groups. For women more so than for

men, higher educational attainment was

associated with lower percentages with

15 or more partners in lifetime. While

11%–12% of women with lower levels

of education reported 15 or more

partners, 6.8% with bachelor’s degrees

or higher reported 15 or more partners.

For men (Table 4), the disparity by

college education was smaller but still

apparent.

Although men were more likely

than women to report higher numbers of

opposite-sex sexual partners in their

lifetimes, men and women showed a

similar pattern of association between

numbers of opposite-sex partners and

race and Hispanic origin. Among

women, Hispanic women were less

likely to have had 15 or more partners

(4.4%) than were non-Hispanic white

(8.9%) and non-Hispanic black (11.3%)

women. Among men, the comparable

figures with 15 or more partners were

19% for Hispanic, 21% for white, and

30% for black men. These differences

by race and origin may relate to

differences in marital or cohabiting

status, age at marriage, education, and

age distributions. Future NSFG data sets

with larger numbers of interviews will

allow more detailed subgroup analyses.

Types of sexual behavior

with opposite-sex and

same-sex partners among

persons aged 15–44

(Tables 5 and 6)

Tables 5 and 6 show percentages of

men and women who ever had the

specified types of sexual contact with

opposite-sex and same-sex partners.

Several studies have documented that

oral and anal sex can transmit HIV and

certain STIs, such as gonorrhea,

chlamydia, genital herpes, chancroid,

and syphilis (51–54). Indeed, an

increasing proportion of cases of genital

herpes in the United States are being

attributed to oral sex (50). Although risk

of HIV transmission is lower for oral

sex than for vaginal intercourse or anal

sex, HIV transmission through oral sex

is known to occur (54). Some groups

may also be at elevated risk of HIV

transmission through oral sex, including

men who have sex with men and certain

drug users (52). For opposite-sex

partners, the percentages that ever had
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011 Page 9

0 

20 

40 

60 

97 

90 

44 

98 

89 

12 

36 

6 

80 

100 

Any type of sex 

with same sex 

Anal sex with 

opposite sex 

Oral sex with 

opposite sex 

Vaginal intercourse 

with opposite sex 

Men Women 

Percent 

NOTE: Refer to Tables 5 and 6. 

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2008. 

Figure 1. Sexual behavior in lifetime among men and women aged 25–44 years:

United States, 2006–2008

vaginal, oral, and anal sex are presented

separately. (More detail for younger

people is shown in Tables 7 and 8, and

more detail for same-sex partners is

shown in Table 10.) Comparable

percentages of men and women have

had any opposite-sex sexual contact,

vaginal intercourse, and oral sex with

opposite-sex partners. Somewhat higher

percentages of men (36%) than women

(31%) report ever having had anal sex.

Given that percentages reporting specific

types of sexual experience may increase

with age and level off in adulthood,

Figure 1 shows the percentages of men

and women aged 25–44 who reported

different types of sexual behavior. As in

the 2002 NSFG, nearly all men and

women aged 25–44 (97% of men and

98% of women) have had vaginal

intercourse; 90% of men and 89% of

women have had oral sex with oppositesex partners. Anal sex with opposite-sex

partners was reported by 36% of women

and 44% of men aged 25–44. Some

form of same-sex sexual behavior was

reported by twice as many women aged

25–44 (12%) as men aged 25–44

(5.8%).

With regard to opposite-sex

partners, no clearcut patterns by

educational attainment were seen in the

reporting of anal sex among men or

women aged 22–44. Among both men

and women aged 22–44, oral sex was

reported more often by those with

bachelor’s degrees or higher (91% of

women and 90% of men) than those

with no high school diploma or GED

(75% of women and 83% of men). Oral

sex with an opposite-sex partner was

reported more often by non-Hispanic

white men and women (85%) than by

those in other Hispanic origin and race

groups shown. More Hispanic men

(77%) reported opposite-sex oral sex

experience than did Hispanic women

(70%).

Looking at same-sex sexual

experience, men showed no significant

differences by educational attainment,

but women with bachelor’s degrees or

higher were less likely to report

same-sex sexual behavior than women

in the other education categories.

Hispanic women (6.3%) were less likely

than either non-Hispanic white (15%) or

non-Hispanic black (11%) women to

report same-sex sexual behavior. Among

men, non-Hispanic white men were

more likely than either Hispanic men or

non-Hispanic black men to report such

behavior.

Types of sexual behavior

with opposite-sex and

same-sex partners among

persons aged 15–24

(Tables 7 and 8)

Table 7 presents similar information

on sexual behavior as shown in Tables 5

and 6, but focused on teens and young

adults, and includes an additional

column for those who have never had

any sexual contact with another person,

male or female. This focused look at

oral and anal sex among teens and

young adults is prompted by concerns

that some young people may engage in

other types of sexual contact before they

have vaginal intercourse, to avoid the

risk of pregnancy; in addition to placing

themselves at risk of STIs, some studies

have documented that engaging in these

other types of sexual contact may hasten

young people’s initiation of vaginal

intercourse (9,55–60). Table 7 shows

that 27% of boys aged 15 and 23% of

girls aged 15 have ever had oral sex

with an opposite-sex partner. At ages

18–19, those percentages are 70% for

boys and 63% for girls. Among those

aged 15–17, 6.2% of boys and 7.0% of

girls have had anal sex with an

opposite-sex partner. Any same-sex

sexual behavior was reported by nearly

2% of boys and 10% of girls aged

15–17. Compared with data from the

2002 NSFG, a higher percentage of

males and females aged 15–24 in

2006–2008 have had no sexual contact

with another person. In 2002, 22% of

young men and women aged 15–24 had

never had any sexual contact with

another person, and in 2006–2008, those

figures were 27% for males and 29%

for females.

Given the public health concern

about young people potentially placing

themselves at risk for STIs even though

they may abstain from vaginal

intercourse (55–61), Table 8 classifies

young people aged 15–24 by the type of
Page 10 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011

33 

32 

10 

7 8 

9 

3 

4 

62 

82 

85 

66 

Age group 

NOTE: Refer to Table 8. 

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2008. Percent 

0 

20 

40 

60 

80 

100 

Ever had vaginal intercourse 

Only had oral sex 

15–17 years 18–19 years 20–24 years

 Males

 Males

 Females

 Females 

Figure 2. Vaginal and oral sex experience with an opposite-sex partner among males and

females aged 15–24 years: United States, 2006–2008

sexual behavior they have engaged in

with an opposite-sex partner. Those who

have had vaginal intercourse at all are

shown in the first column of

percentages, followed by those who

have never had vaginal intercourse but

have had oral sex. The 2006–2008

NSFG data indicate that 6.8% of males

aged 15–24 and 4.9% of females aged

15–24 have had oral sex but no vaginal

intercourse. As depicted in Figure 2, the

percentages of young people who have

only had oral sex but not vaginal

intercourse are very low and decline

with age as they begin to have vaginal

intercourse, but these percentages reflect

just part of the subgroup of young

people who may potentially be placing

themselves at risk of STIs or HIV

before they are ever at risk of

pregnancy. Some proportion of young

people in the upper lines of Figure 2,

those who have had vaginal intercourse,

may also have had oral sex before their

first intercourse.

To address this gap in the data, in

2007 (year 2 of the 2006–2008 NSFG),

a new question was added to the female

and male questionnaires to determine

the relative timing of oral sex and

vaginal intercourse for all those aged

15–24 who reported both types of

sexual contact. For females, this

‘‘TIMING’’ question read,

Thinking back to when you had oral sex

with a male for the first time, was it

before, after, or on the same occasion as

your first vaginal intercourse with a

male?

An analogous question was asked of

males about sex with females. The

respondent could choose one of the

following responses:

+ Before first vaginal intercourse.

+ After first vaginal intercourse.

+ Same occasion.

The Table below gives the percentages

of males and females aged 15–24 who

had oral sex before they ever had

Table. Percentage who had first oral sex before first vaginal intercourse among males and females aged 15–24 years who ever had oral

sex, by selected characteristics: United States, 2007–2008

Percent who had first

Number in oral sex before first (Standard

Characteristic thousands vaginal intercourse1 error)

All persons aged 15–24 who ever had oral sex2 ......................... 27,266 50.9 (2.05)

Sex

Male .................................................... 13,384 49.8 (2.29)

Female. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,883 51.9 (3.32)

Age at first vaginal intercourse

17 years or under ............................................ 18,423 41.4 (2.35)

18–19 years................................................ 4,396 56.0 (4.25)

20–24 years................................................ 1,577 70.1 (5.70)

Hispanic origin and race

Hispanic or Latino ............................................ 4,679 39.0 (4.91)

Not Hispanic or Latino:

White, single race. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,319 56.6 (2.17)

Black or African American, single race .............................. 3,772 39.4 (4.24)

1

The question on the timing of oral sex relative to vaginal intercourse was asked starting in 2007. Those who never had vaginal intercourse but had oral sex are classified as having had oral sex
 

before vaginal intercourse.
 2

Includes those of other or multiple race and origin groups not shown separately.
 

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2008.
 
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011 Page 11

vaginal intercourse. These percentages

include those who either responded

‘‘before first vaginal intercourse’’ on the

TIMING question in ACASI or who had

not yet had vaginal intercourse but have

had oral sex. About one-half of males

and females aged 15–24 in 2006–2008

who ever had oral sex reported they had

oral sex before their first vaginal

intercourse. Among those who have had

vaginal intercourse, older age at first

intercourse was associated with higher

percentages having had oral sex first:

41% of young people aged 15–24 who

had first vaginal intercourse at age 17 or

under had oral sex before first vaginal

intercourse, compared with 70% of

those who had first intercourse at age 20

or over. Non-Hispanic black and

Hispanic males and females aged 15–24

were about two-thirds as likely as

non-Hispanic white youth to have had

oral sex before first vaginal intercourse

or to have only had oral sex (39%

compared with 57%).

Distribution of number of

sexual partners in the past

year (including opposite-sex

and same-sex partners)

Table 9 gives the percent

distribution of all males and females

aged 15–44 by the sex and number of

their partners in the last 12 months,

including sexual behavior with oppositesex and same-sex partners. Unlike

Tables 1 and 2 that looked solely at

numbers of opposite-sex partners in the

past year, Table 9 combines opposite-sex

and same-sex partners to describe

overall sexual experience in the past

year for persons aged 15–44. Due to

small sample sizes in the 2006–2008

data, it was not possible to subdivide

those with any same-sex experience by

their numbers of partners, nor was it

possible to show the percentages that

had both male and female partners in

the past year. Roughly three in five men

or women had one opposite-sex partner

in the last 12 months, and 16% reported

no partners at all. The distributions for

men and women differed for two

categories: twice as many men as

women (18% compared with 9.4%)

reported two or more opposite-sex

partners in the last 12 months, and

nearly three times as many women as

men reported any same-sex partners in

the past 12 months (12% compared with

4.3%).

For women aged 22–44, no clear

pattern was seen by educational

attainment in the sex and number of

sexual partners in the past year, but

those with a bachelor’s degree or higher

were less likely to report any recent

same-sex partners than those in the

other education groups (9.4% compared

with 13%–15%). Among men aged

22–44, a somewhat opposite association

with education was seen, with higher

reports of recent same-sex partners for

men in higher education groups. For

both men and women, the data indicate

higher reports of ‘‘no partners in the last

12 months’’ for persons with some

college but no bachelor’s degree,

relative to the other education groups.

With regard to Hispanic origin and

race, higher percentages of non-Hispanic

black men and women reported ‘‘two or

more opposite-sex partners’’ in the past

year, compared with the other Hispanic

origin and race groups shown. NonHispanic black men (31%) were twice

as likely as non-Hispanic black women

(16%) to report two or more oppositesex partners in the past year.

Black men (2%) were less likely to

report recent same-sex partners than

white men (4.8%), but no difference

was seen between black and Hispanic

men (3.5%). Hispanic women were less

likely than either non-Hispanic white or

non-Hispanic black women to report

recent same-sex partners.

Same-sex sexual activity

among persons aged 15–44

(Table 10)

Further detail on same-sex sexual

activity ‘‘in lifetime’’ (or to this point in

their lives) is shown in Table 10 for

males and females aged 15–44. As noted

in Tables 5 and 6, twice as many women

as men report having had any same-sex

sexual contact in their lifetimes (13% of

women and 5.2% of men). When the

2002 NSFG data on this topic were

published (9), there had been

speculation that the questions on

same-sex sexual activity were not

sufficiently comparable or specific for

females, and that this may draw into

question any male-female difference

seen. As a result, more behaviorally

specific questions were added to the

2006–2008 NSFG ACASI (see the

Methods section of the present report) to

ask female respondents about oral sex

with a female partner, and only those

who did not report oral sex with a

female partner were asked the more

general question about any sexual

contact with a female. The 2006–2008

data show that 12.5% of women aged

15–44 reported any same-sex sexual

experience with a female partner, and

9.3% reported they ever had oral sex

with a female partner. This indicates that

most of the reporting (about 75%) of

same-sex experience among females is

accounted for by oral sex, rather than

the more general question about ‘‘any

sexual experience.’’ This figure of 9.3%

of women reporting oral sex with a

female partner is still higher than the

5.2% of men reporting any oral or anal

sex with a male partner, and it may be

the more comparable figure because it is

based on specific behaviors. Looking at

the different characteristics shown in

Table 10, similar patterns of association

were seen with both ‘‘any same-sex

experience’’ and ‘‘any oral sex’’ with a

female partner. As noted in Methods,

men who answered ‘‘no’’ to the specific

same-sex behavioral questions were not

asked, as were women, the more general

question about ‘‘any sexual experience

with a male partner.’’ It is therefore

unknown whether asking such a

question would have increased reports

of same-sex experience among men to

the levels seen among women or

possibly narrowed the gender gap.

Marital or cohabiting status showed

a somewhat different association with

same-sex experience for men and

women. Married (3.5%) or cohabiting

men (3.2%) reported lower levels of

same-sex experience than never-married

(7.2%) or formerly married men (6.4%),

while for women lower percentages of

same-sex experience were seen for
Page 12 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011

currently married (8.3%) or nevermarried (13%) women compared with

formerly married women (20%) or

cohabiting women (21%). Similar

patterns by marital or cohabiting status

were seen among women reporting oral

sex with female partners as among

women reporting any same-sex

experience. (As was noted in Methods,

NSFG classifies as ‘‘cohabiting’’ only

those who are cohabiting with an

opposite-sex partner so this difference

does not reflect misreporting or

misclassification of same sex

cohabitations.) Education also showed a

different association with same-sex

experience by sex. Women aged 22–44

with a bachelor’s degree or higher were

less likely to report same-sex experience

than those in the other education groups

(9.9% compared with 14%–15%).

Similar patterns were seen among

women specifically reporting oral sex

with female partners. For men, the

pattern was less clearcut, but higher

educational attainment was associated

with higher reports of same-sex

experience.

Table 10 also shows same-sex

experience according to numbers of

opposite-sex partners in lifetime. For

men the prevalence of same-sex

experience does not correlate closely

with numbers of opposite-sex partners,

but for women, those who reported four

or more opposite-sex partners in their

lifetimes were more likely to report any

same-sex experience (20%) or same-sex

oral sex (16%) than those with fewer or

none. With regard to Hispanic origin

and race, the associations with same-sex

experience are again somewhat different

between men and women. Non-Hispanic

white men (6%) were more likely to

report any oral or anal sex with a male

partner than were non-Hispanic black

men (2.4%), and this appears to be

driven by differences in both oral and

anal sex. No difference in reporting was

seen between Hispanic men and

non-Hispanic white men. Among

women, Hispanic women were less

likely than either non-Hispanic white or

black women to report same-sex

experience, including same-sex oral sex.

Sexual attraction and sexual

identity among persons

aged 18–44 (Tables 11–13)

The measures of sexual attraction

and identity are shown in this report

only for adults aged 18–44 to facilitate

comparisons with other surveys, and

also because these characteristics may

not yet be known or accurately reported

among teenagers 15–17 (62). Sexual

attraction and identity as stated at the

time of interview are presented here as

important risk markers for HIV and

STIs. They are not intended to substitute

for actual behavioral risk factors such as

same-sex sexual behaviors presented

earlier in this report, but are correlated

with reports of same-sex behavior to

show the extent to which their use as

risk markers may be warranted.

Table 11 shows the full distribution

of men and women aged 18–44 by their

sexual attraction. Women in 2006–2008

were less likely than men to report they

are attracted ‘‘only to the opposite

sex’’—83% of women compared with

94% of men—and this pattern is similar

to patterns seen in 2002. However, when

the ‘‘only to opposite sex’’ and ‘‘mostly

to opposite sex’’ categories are summed,

no difference is seen between men and

women. To address concerns that

socioeconomic factors or language

barriers may play a role in the reporting

(or misreporting) of sexual attraction

and identity, Tables 11–13 show these

variables tabulated by education,

Hispanic origin and race, and the

language in which ACASI was

conducted. Among men, no clear-cut

patterns in sexual attraction were seen

by education, Hispanic origin and race,

or ACASI language, but among women

some differences were seen in Table 11.

Non-Hispanic white women (81%) were

less likely than Hispanic women (89%)

and black women (86%) to say they are

attracted ‘‘only to the opposite sex.’’

Women who completed ACASI in

Spanish (95%) were more likely than

other women (82%) to say they are

attracted ‘‘only to the opposite sex.’’

In both Tables 12 and 13, the

distribution by sexual identity reported

by women and men aged 18–44 in

2006–2008 was similar to that seen in

2002. The primary change from 2002 in

the distribution by sexual identity relates

to the significantly lower percentages

reporting ‘‘something else.’’ As

described in Methods and in Technical

Notes, the decrease in reporting of

‘‘something else’’ is mainly attributable

to the addition of clearer terms in the

response categories for the 2006–2008

NSFG’s question on sexual identity.

Those fewer cases in the 2006–2008

NSFG who reported their sexual identity

as ‘‘something else’’ were asked a

follow-up question, as described in

Methods. Based on what the respondents

typed into the computer, 37 of 87

women and 20 of 39 men who reported

‘‘something else’’ were unambiguously

classified into one of the preexisting

categories of heterosexual, homosexual,

and ‘‘don’t know.’’ As shown in

Technical Notes, this reclassification or

‘‘back-coding’’ did not significantly alter

the overall distribution by sexual

identify for adults aged 18–44 in the

2006–2008 NSFG. In addition, the

percentages did not change from 2002

to 2006–2008 for those who responded

‘‘don’t know’’ or ‘‘refused,’’ which are

labeled in Tables 12 and 13 as ‘‘did not

report.’’ The question wording change,

along with the small amount of

back-coding, also appear to have

resulted in an increase in the

percentages reporting ‘‘heterosexual or

straight’’—94% of women in 2006–

2008 compared with 90% in 2002 and

96% of men in 2006–2008 compared

with 90% in 2002.

Age appeared more closely

associated with sexual identity for

women than for men. Women at the

upper end of the 18–44 age range were

more likely to report themselves as

heterosexual and less likely to report

themselves as bisexual. Among men

aged 18–44, no such pattern was seen.

Looking at marital or cohabiting status,

which is itself correlated strongly with

age, 2.1% of currently married women

and 0.4% of currently married men

report themselves as bisexual. Among

current cohabitors, 6.2% of women and

0.5% of men report themselves as

bisexual. Among those men and women

aged 18–44 who have never married and

are not cohabiting, 2.8% of women and
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011 Page 13

4.4% of men report themselves as

homosexual; 4.6% of never-married

women and 2.1% of never-married men

report themselves as bisexual.

As in Table 11 on sexual attraction,

Tables 12 and 13 show sexual identity

tabulated by education, Hispanic origin

and race, and the language in which

ACASI was conducted. For women and

men aged 22–44, those with less than a

high school diploma were more likely

(3.2% of women and 3.9% of men) to

say ‘‘don’t know’’ or ‘‘refused’’ (that is,

‘‘did not report’’) on sexual identity than

those with at least a high school

education. With respect to race and

Hispanic origin, Hispanic women (4.1%)

and men (3.9%) were more likely not to

report sexual identity than those in other

race and origin groups shown. Some

evidence of a language barrier was

suggested by the fact that 7.9% of

women and 8.5% of men who

completed ACASI in Spanish did not

report sexual identity compared with

less than 1% of men and women who

completed it in English.

Association of sexual

behavior, sexual attraction,

and sexual identity

(Tables 14 and 15)

Table 14 presents percentages of

women and men aged 18–44 who

reported different types of sexual

activity with opposite-sex and same-sex

partners, according to their sexual

attraction and sexual identity. These

figures show the extent to which sexual

attraction and identity correlate with

reports of sexual behavior, with both

opposite-sex and same-sex partners.

Women who said they are ‘‘mostly

attracted to the opposite sex’’ (55%)

rather than ‘‘only attracted to the

opposite sex’’ (30%) were more likely to

have had anal sex with an opposite-sex

partner. Women ‘‘mostly attracted to the

opposite sex’’ (47%) were also more

likely than women ‘‘only attracted to the

opposite sex’’ (5%) to have had any

same-sex sexual experience with a

female partner. Among men, no such

difference was seen by sexual attraction

for anal sex with opposite-sex partners,

but those who were ‘‘mostly attracted to

the opposite sex’’ were more likely to

have ever had same-sex sexual contact

with a male partner (21%) compared

with men who were ‘‘only attracted to

the opposite sex’’ (3%). Among those

men and women who self-identify as

heterosexual, 9% of women and 3.2% of

men have ever had same-sex sexual

experience. Conversely, among those

who report themselves as homosexual or

bisexual, 15% of women (100% minus

85%) and 12% of men have never had

same-sex sexual experience. A higher

percentage (92%) of homosexual or

bisexual women have ever had an

opposite-sex sexual partner compared

with 70% of homosexual or bisexual

men who have had such experience.

Looking at specific types of sexual

experience with opposite-sex partners,

some interesting differentials were seen.

Close to one-third of heterosexual

women have ever had anal sex with an

opposite-sex partner compared with 48%

of homosexual or bisexual women. In

contrast, anal sex with an opposite-sex

partner was more likely to be reported

by heterosexual men (40%) compared

with homosexual or bisexual men

(24%). For oral sex with an opposite-sex

partner, no difference was seen by

sexual identity for women, but for men,

those who reported themselves as

homosexual or bisexual (65%) were less

likely than heterosexual men (88%) to

have ever had oral sex with an oppositesex partner.

Table 15 shows the association of

sexual attraction and sexual identity

among adults aged 18–44. Nearly all

(99%) women and men who reported

being attracted only to the opposite sex

gave their sexual identity as

heterosexual or straight. Among those

attracted mostly to the opposite sex,

87% of women and 90% of men were

heterosexual or straight. Due to small

sample sizes, all other categories of

sexual attraction were collapsed,

including those who were equally

attracted to both sexes, mostly attracted

to the same sex, and only attracted to

the same sex. This group labeled ‘‘all

other’’ showed a different distribution

by sexual identity for women and men.

Women in the ‘‘all other’’ group were

twice as likely as men to report

themselves as bisexual (42% compared

with 21%) or heterosexual (27%

compared with 13%). Men in the ‘‘all

other’’ group for sexual attraction were

twice (16%) as likely as women (7.5%)

not to report their sexual identity. These

results suggest that these measures of

sexual attraction and identity are closely

associated but not identical and that

different patterns of association may

exist for women and men.

Comparisons with other data

Table 16 compares 2006–2008

NSFG data on number of opposite-sex

partners, same-sex sexual experience in

lifetime, and sexual identity from the

2006–2008 NSFG with data from the

2002 NSFG; NHANES 1999–2002,

2007–2008, and 2001–2006; the 2009

NSSHB; and the 2004 and 2008 GSS.

Age ranges for the statistics presented

are shown in the table. For NHANES,

data on sexual behavior and identity are

from three sources. Published data on

opposite-sex partners were available for

1999–2002 (63), and two recent articles

show the prevalence of same-sex

behavior for males and females using

2001–2006 data (64,65). Weighted

frequencies of sexual identity based on

the NHANES 2007–2008 public-use

data were also included in the table

(66). Similarly, information on sexual

identity was first collected in the 2008

GSS (67), and other data on sex and

number of partners are from a published

report using the 2004 GSS (68). The

comparisons between NSFG and these

other surveys are not always direct

because the surveys were conducted in

different years and their age ranges,

question wording, and response rates

differ. Therefore, differences among

these surveys do not always reflect

trends or differences in behavior; they

may reflect, at least in part, sampling

error and differences in survey questions

or procedures.

Despite those potential limitations,

the survey results are fairly similar

across several of these indicators of

sexual behavior. The median number of

opposite-sex partners in lifetime for

males ranges between five and seven,

with three to four opposite-sex partners
Page 14	 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011

in lifetime among females. About

17%–19% of males had two or more

female partners in the last 12 months,

compared with 8%–15% of females who

had two or more male partners. About

4%–6% of males ever had same-sex

contact. For females, the percentage

who have ever had same-sex contact

ranges from about 4% in the GSS, to

11%–12% in the 2002 and 2006–2008

NSFG. The percentage reporting their

sexual identity as homosexual ranged

from 2% to 4% of males, and about 1%

to 2% of females. The percentage

reporting their sexual identity as

bisexual is between 1% and 3% of

males, and 2% to 5% of females. As

was described previously, the proportion

reporting ‘‘something else’’ was

significantly lower in the 2006–2008

NSFG than in the 2002 NSFG due in

part to question wording changes that

were made in the 2006–2008 NSFG

(also see Technical Notes).

Conclusions

This report was intended to provide

updated national estimates of some basic

statistics related to certain types of

sexual behavior, attraction, and identity

for men and women aged 15–44 in the

household population of the United

States, in order to (a) measure the

populations at risk of STIs and (b) to

provide insights about factors related to

birth and pregnancy rates. The results

presented here are based on a large

national sample (n = 13,495),

interviewed in person with the most

reliable self-administered technique, and

a good response rate (75%). The results

reported here are generally similar to

those in our report based on the 2002

NSFG (9). But the current report also

presented improved NSFG measures for

sexual identity, female-female sexual

activity, and the relative timing of first

vaginal and oral sex among those aged

15–24. Further, more detailed subgroup

analyses will be possible when the next

report is released, in about a year, with

a national sample of over 22,000 men

and women. The current report does,

however, have limitations: the results

are national, not state, estimates, and

they are limited to the household

population of the United States aged

15–44. They do not cover persons who

are currently homeless, incarcerated,

living on military bases, or persons

under age 15 or over age 44.

Nevertheless, the data should prove

useful for planning programs to prevent

the spread of STIs and to prevent

unintended pregnancy among men and

women aged 15–44 in the United States.

References

1.	 Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention. HIV surveillance report,

2008; vol 20. 2010. Available from:

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/
 

surveillance/resources/reports/.
 

2.	 Weinstock H, Berman S, Cates W Jr.

Sexually transmitted diseases among

American youth: Incidence and

prevalence estimates, 2000. Perspect

Sex Reprod Health 36(1):6–10. 2004.

3.	 Ventura SJ, Abma JC, Mosher WD,

Henshaw SK. Estimated pregnancy

rates for the United States, 1990–

2005: An update. National vital

statistics report; vol 58 no 4.

Hyattsville, MD: National Center for

Health Statics. 2009. Available from:

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/

nvsr58/nvsr58_04.pdf.

4.	 Chesson HW, Blandford JM, Gift

TL, Tao G, Irwin KL. The estimated

direct medical cost of sexually

transmitted diseases among American

youth, 2000. Perspect Sex Reprod

Health 36(1):11–9. 2004.

5.	 Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention. Sexually transmitted

disease surveillance, 2008. Atlanta,

GA: U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services. 2009.

6.	 Hall HI, Song R, Rhodes P, Prejean

J, An Q, Lee LM, et al. Estimation

of HIV incidence in the United

States. JAMA 300(5):520–9. 2008.

7.	 Bhaskaran K, Hamouda O, Sannes

M, Boufassa F, Johnson AM,

Lambert PC, Porter K; Cascade

Collaboration. Changes in the risk of

death after HIV seroconversion

compared with mortality in the

general population. JAMA 300:51–9.

2008.

8.	 Gebo KA, Fleishman JA, Conviser

R, Hellinger J, Hellinger FJ, Josephs

JS, et al. Contemporary costs of HIV

healthcare in the HAART era. AIDS

24:2705–15. 2010.

9.	 Mosher WD, Chandra A, Jones J.

Sexual behavior and selected health

measures: Men and women 15–44

years of age, United States, 2002.

Advance data from vital and health

statistics; no 362. Hyattsville, MD:

National Center for Health Statistics.

2005. Available from: http://www.

cdc.gov/nchs/data/ad/ad362.pdf.

10. Billy JOG, Tanfer K, Grady WR,

Klepinger DH. The sexual behavior

of men in the United States. Fam

Plann Perspect 25(2):52–60. 1993.

11. Leigh BC, Temple MT, Trocki KF.

The sexual behavior of U.S. adults:

Results from a national survey. Am J

Public Health 83(10):1400–8. 1993.

12. Laumann EO, Gagnon JH, Michael

RT, Michaels S. The social

organization sexuality: Sexual

practices in the United States.

Chicago, IL: University of Chicago

Press. 1994.

13. Michael RT, Gagnon JH, Laumann

EO, Kolata G. Sex in America: A

definitive survey. Boston, MA: Little,

Brown, and Company. 1994.

14. Smith TW. Sexual behavior in the

United States. In: Sex and sexuality,

Vol 1. Sexuality today: Trends and

controversies. McAnulty RD, ed.

New York, NY: Praeger

Publishers;104–32. 2006.

15. Anderson JE, Stall R. Increased

reporting of male-to-male sexual

activity in a national survey. Sex

Trans Dis 29(11):643–6. 2002.

16. Rogers SM, Turner CF. Male-to-male

sexual contact in the United States:

Findings from five sample surveys,

1970–1990. J Sex Res 28(4):491–

519. 1991.

17. Turner CF, Villarroel MA, Chromy

JR, Eggleston E, Rogers SM.

Same-gender sex among U.S adults:

Trends across the twentieth century

and during the 1990s. Public Opin Q

69(3):439–62. 2005.

18. Eaton DK, Kann L, Kinchen S,

Shanklin S, Ross J, Hawkins J, et al.

Youth risk behavior

surveillance—United States, 2009.

Surveillance Summaries. MMWR

59(SS–5). 2010. Available from:

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/pdf/ss/

ss5905.pdf.

19. Abma JC, Sonenstein FL. Sexual

activity and contraceptive practices

among teenagers in the United

States, 1988 and 1995. National

Center for Health Statistics. Vital

Health Stat 23(21). 2001. Available
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011 Page 15

from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/

series/sr_23/sr23_021.pdf.

20. Indiana University Center for Sexual

Health Promotion. Special Issue:

Findings from the National Survey of

Sexual Health and Behavior

(NSSHB). J Sex Med 7(Suppl5).

2010.

21. Groves RM, Mosher WD, Lepkowski

J, Kirgis NG. Planning and

development of the continuous

National Survey of Family Growth.

National Center for Health Statistics.

Vital Health Stat 1(48). 2009.

Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/

nchs/data/series/sr_01/sr01_048.pdf.

22. Lepkowski JM, Mosher WD, Davis

KE, et al. The 2006–2010 National

Survey of Family Growth: Sample

design and analysis of a continuous

survey. National Center for Health

Statistics. Vital Health Stat 2(150).

2010. Available from: http://www.

cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_02/

sr02_150.pdf.

23. Abma JC, Martinez GM, Copen CE.

Teenagers in the United States:

Sexual activity, contraceptive use,

and childbearing, National Survey of

Family Growth 2006–2008. National

Center for Health Statistics. Vital

Health Stat 23(30). 2010. Available

from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/

series/sr_23/sr23_030.pdf.

24. Mosher WD, Jones J. Use of

contraception in the United States:

1982–2008. National Center for

Health Statistics. Vital Health Stat

23(29). 2010. Available from:

http://www.cdc.gov/NCHS/data/

series/sr_23/sr23_029.pdf.

25. Anderson JE, Chandra A, Mosher

WD. HIV testing in the United

States, 2002. Advance data from vital

and health statistics; no 363.

Hyattsville, MD: National Center for

Health Statistics. 2005. Available

from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/

ad/ad363.pdf.

26. Anderson JE, Mosher WD, Chandra

A. Measuring HIV risk in the U.S.

population aged 15–44: Results from

Cycle 6 of the National Survey of

Family Growth. Advance data from

vital and health statistics; no 377.

Hyattsville, MD: National Center for

Health Statistics. 2006. Available

from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/

ad/ad377.pdf.

27. Turner CF, Miller HG, Moses LE.

AIDS: Sexual behavior and

intravenous drug use. National

Research Council, National Academy

of Sciences. Washington, DC:

National Academy Press. 1989.

28. Miller HG, Turner CF, Moses LE.

AIDS: The second decade. National

Research Council, National Academy

of Sciences. Washington, DC:

National Academy Press. 1990.

29. Sell RL, JB Becker. Sexual

orientation data collection and

progress toward Healthy People

2010. Am J Public Health 91(6):876–

82. 2001.

30. Turner CF, Ku L, Rogers SM,

Lindberg LD, Pleck JH, Sonenstein

FL. Adolescent sexual behavior, drug

use, and violence: Increased

reporting with computer survey

technology. Science 280(5365):867–

73. 1998.

31. Chandra A, Martinez GM, Mosher

WD, et al. Fertility, family planning,

and reproductive health of U.S.

women: Data from the 2002 National

Survey of Family Growth. National

Center for Health Statistics. Vital

Health Stat 23(25). 2005. Available

from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/

series/sr_23/sr23_025.pdf.

32. Martinez GM, Chandra A, Abma JC,

et al. Fertility, contraception, and

fatherhood: Data on men and women

from cycle 6 (2002) of the 2002

National Survey of Family Growth.

National Center for Health Statistics.

Vital Health Stat 23(26). 2006.

Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/

nchs/data/series/sr_23/sr23_026.pdf.

33. National Center for Health Statistics.

Public use data file documentation:

Continuous National Survey of

Family Growth, 2006–2008: User’s

guide. Hyattsville, MD. 2010.

Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/

NCHS/data/nsfg/NSFG_2006-08_

UserGuide_MainText.pdf.

34. National Center for Health Statistics.

2006–2008 NSFG ACASI files:

User’s guide. Hyattsville, MD. 2011.

Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/

nchs/data/nsfg/20062008NSFG_

ACASIFile_UserGuide_ALL.pdf.

35. Miller K. Cognitive testing of the

NHANES sexual orientation

questions. Hyattsville, MD: National

Center for Health Statistics. 2001.

Available from: http://wwwn.cdc.gov/

qbank/report/Miller_NCHS_2001

NHANESSexualityReport.pdf.

36. Groves RM, Benson G, Mosher WD,

et al. Plan and operation of cycle 6

of the National Survey of Family

Growth. National Center for Health

Statistics. Vital Health Stat 1(42).

2005. Available from: http://www.

cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_01/

sr01_042.pdf.

37. Martinez GM, Marin BV, SchouaGlusberg A. Translating from English

to Spanish: The 2002 National

Survey of Family Growth. Hispanic J

Behav Sci 28(4):531–45. 2006.

38. Aral SO, Padian NS, Holmes KK.

Advances in multilevel approaches to

understanding the epidemiology and

prevention of sexually transmitted

diseases infections and HIV: An

overview. J Infect Dis 191(Suppl

1):S1–S6. 2005.

39. Adimora AA, Schoenbach VJ,

Doherty IA. Concurrent sexual

partnerships among men in the

United States. Am J Public Health

97(12):2230–37. 2007.

40. Adimora AA, Schoenbach VJ, Taylor

EM, Khan MR, Schwartz RJ.

Concurrent partnerships,

nonmonogamous partners, and

substance use among women in the

United States. Am J Public Health

101(1):128–36. 2010.

41. Aral SO, Leichliter JS. Nonmonogamy: Risk factor for STI

transmission and acquisition and

determinant of STI spread in

populations. Sex Transm Infect

86(Suppl 3):iii29–iii36. 2010.

42. Leichliter JS, Chesson HW, Sternberg

M, Aral SO. The concentration of

sexual behaviours in the USA: A

closer examination of subpopulations.

Sex Transm Infect 86(Suppl 3):iii45–

iii51. 2010.

43. Ford CL, Whetten KD, Hall SA,

Kaufman JS, Thrasher AD. Black

sexuality, social construction, and

research targeting ‘‘The Down Low.’’

Ann Rev Epidemiol 17(3):209–16.

2007.

44. Hamilton DT, Morris M. Consistency

of self-reported sexual behavior in

surveys. Arch Sex Behav 39(4):842–

60. 2010.

45. McQuillan GM, Kruszon-Moran D,

Granade T, Feldman JW.

Seroprevalence of human

immunodeficiency virus in the U.S.

household population aged 18–49

years: The National Health and

Nutrition Examination Surveys,

1999–2006. J Acquir Immune Defic

Syndr 53(1):117–23. 2010.

46. Datta SD, Sternberg M, Johnson RE,

Berman S, Papp JR, McQuillan G,
Page 16 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011

Weinstock H. Gonorrhea and

chlamydia in the United States

among persons 14 to 39 years of age,

1999–2002. Ann Intern Med

147(2):89–96. 2007.

47. Dunne EF, Unger ER, Sternberg M,

McQuillan G, Swan DC, Patel SS,

Markowitz LE. Prevalence of HPV

infection among females in the

United States. JAMA 297(8):813–9.

2007.

48. Markowitz LE, Sternberg M, Dunne

EF, McQuillan G, Unger ER.

Seroprevalence of human

papillomavirus types 6, 11, 16, and

18 in the United States: National

Health and Nutrition Examination

Survey 2003–2004. J Infect Dis

200(7):1059–67. 2009.

49. Sutton M, Sternberg M, Koumans

EH, McQuillan G, Berman S,

Markowitz L. The prevalence of

Trichomonas vaginalis infection

among reproductive-age women in

the United States, 2001–2004. Clin

Infect Dis 45(10):1319–26. 2007.

50. Xu F, Sternberg MR, Kottiri BJ,

McQuillan GM, Lee FK, Nahmias

AJ, et al. Trends in herpes simplex

virus type 1 and type 2

seroprevalence in the United States.

JAMA 296(8):964–73. 2006.

51. Edwards S, Carne C. Oral sex and

transmission of non-viral STIs. Sex

Transm Infect 74(2):95–100. 1998.

52. Rothenberg RB, Scarlett M, del Rio

C, Reznik D, O’Daniels C. Oral

transmission of HIV. AIDS

12(16):2095–105. 1998.

53. Cherpes TL, Meyn LA, Hillier SL.

Cunnilingus and vaginal intercourse

are risk factors for herpes simplex

virus type 1 acquisition in women.

Sex Transm Dis 32(2):84–9. 2005.

54. Baggaley RF, White RG, Boily MC.

Systematic review of orogenital

HIV-1 transmission probabilities. Int

J Epidemiol 37(6):1255–65. 2008.

55. Halpern-Felsher BL, Cornell JL,

Kropp RY, Tschann JM. Oral versus

vaginal sex among adolescents:

Perceptions, attitudes, and behavior.

Pediatrics 115(4):845–51. 2005.

56. Schuster MA, Bell RM, Kanouse

DE. The sexual practices of

adolescent virgins: Genital sexual

activities of high school students who

have never had vaginal intercourse.

Am J Public Health 86(11):1570–76.

1996.

57. Brewster KL, Tillman KH. Who’s

doing it? Patterns and predictors of

youths’ oral sexual experiences. J

Adolesc Health 42(1):73–80. 2008.

58. Lindberg LD, Jones R, Santelli JS.

Noncoital sexual activities among

adolescents. J Adolesc Health

43(3):231–8. 2008.

59. Uecker JE, Angotti N, Regnerus MD.

Going most of the way: ‘‘Technical

virginity’’ among American

adolescents. Soc Sci Res 37(4):1200–

15. 2008.

60. Song AV, Halpern-Felsher BL.

Predictive relationship between

adolescent oral and vaginal sex. Arch

Pediatr Adolesc Med 165(3):243–9.

2011.

61. American College of Obstetricians

and Gynecologists. ACOG

Committee Opinion no 417:

Addressing health risks of noncoital

sexual activity. Obstet Gynecol

112(3):735–7. 2008.

62. Pathela P, Schillinger JA. Sexual

behaviors and sexual violence:

Adolescents with opposite-, same-, or

both-sex partners. Pediatrics

126(5):879–86. 2010.

63. Fryer CD, Hirsch R, Porter KS, et al.

Drug use and sexual behaviors

reported by adults: United States,

1999–2002. Advance data from vital

and health statatistics; no 384. 2007.

Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/

nchs/data/ad/ad384.pdf.

64. Xu F, Sternberg MR, Markowitz LE.

Men who have sex with men in the

United States: Demographic and

behavioral characteristics and

prevalence of HIV and HSV-2

infection: Results from National

Health and Nutrition Examination

Survey, 2001–2006. Sex Transm Dis

37(6):399–405. 2010.

65. Xu F, Sternberg MR, Markowitz LE.

Women who have sex with women

in the United States: Prevalence,

sexual behavior, and prevalence of

herpes simplex virus type 2 infection:

Results from National Health and

Nutrition Examination Survey,

2001–2006. Sex Transm Dis

37(7):407–13. 2010.

66. National Health and Nutrition

Examination Survey (2007–2008)

[online]. National Center for Health

Statistics. Available from: http://

www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes.htm.

67. Gates GJ. Sexual minorities in the

2008 General Social Survey: Coming

out and demographic characteristics.

The Williams Institute. 2010.

Accessed online at: http://www.

law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/pdf/

Sexual-Minorities-2008-GSS.pdf.

68. Smith TW. American sexual

behavior: Trends, socio-demographic

differences, and risk behavior.

National Opinion Research Center at

the University of Chicago. GSS

Topical Report no 25. Updated

March 2006.
National Health Statistics Reports

n Number 36n March 3, 2011 Page 17

ual partners in the 12 months prior to interview among females aged 15–44 years, by selected characteristics: United States, 2002 and

Never had

Had sex with

opposite sex

Number of opposite-sex (male) sexual partners in last 12 months1

sexual contact but not

Number in with opposite in last 4 or Did not

thousands Total sex 12 months 1 2 3 more report

Percent distribution (standard error)

.......... 61,561 100.0 8.3 (0.4) 6.9 (0.4) 68.2 (0.9) 7.6 (0.4) 3.0 (0.2) 4.1 (0.3) 1.9 (0.2).......... 61,865 100.0 11.0 (1.3) 6.1 (0.4) 69.0 (1.2) 7.6 (0.5) 2.5 (0.3) 2.9 (0.3) 0.8 (0.2)

.......... 10,431 100.0 46.8 (2.7) 5.9 (0.9) 27.7 (2.3) 9.8 (1.1) 3.4 (0.5) 5.3 (0.9) 1.2 (0.6)

.......... 5,833 100.0 60.3 (2.7) 5.1 (1.0) 19.1 (2.0) 7.8 (1.3) 3.0 (0.7) 3.8 (1.0) 1.1 (0.7)

.......... 4,598 100.0 29.7 (4.8) 6.9 (1.4) 38.6 (4.4) 12.3 (1.9) 4.0 (0.7) 7.3 (1.5) 1.3 (1.0)

.......... 10,140 100.0 12.3 (3.4) 4.7 (0.9) 57.8 (2.5) 14.1 (2.2) 5.1 (1.0) 4.6 (0.9) 1.3 (0.6)

.......... 41,294 100.0 1.6 (0.4) 6.6 (0.5) 82.3 (0.9) 5.4 (0.4) 1.7 (0.3) 1.9 (0.3) 0.6 (0.2)

.......... 10,250 100.0 3.4 (1.1) 5.6 (0.8) 75.8 (1.7) 8.2 (1.1) 3.6 (0.7) 2.7 (0.5) 0.7 (0.3)

.......... 9,587 100.0 1.9 (0.6) 4.6 (0.8) 82.8 (1.7) 5.5 (0.7) 1.7 (0.4) 2.9 (1.2) 0.7 (0.4)

.......... 10,475 100.0 0.9 (0.4) 6.7 (1.0) 86.2 (1.5) 4.3 (0.8) 0.9 (0.3) 0.7 (0.3) 0.4 (0.2)

.......... 10,982 100.0 0.3 (0.1) 9.1 (1.3) 84.2 (1.6) 3.9 (0.8) 0.6 (0.2) 1.2 (0.6) 0.6 (0.3)

.......... 27,006 100.0 – 0.7 (0.3) 96.5 (0.6) 1.4 (0.3) 0.2 (0.1) 0.6 (0.4) 0.5 (0.2)

.......... 6,821 100.0 – 0.8 (0.3) 85.9 (1.7) 8.3 (1.4) 3.0 (0.9) 1.3 (0.4) 0.7 (0.4)

.......... 22,847 100.0 29.8 (3.1) 11.2 (0.9) 35.4 (2.0) 12.2 (1.0) 4.8 (0.6) 5.6 (0.6) 1.1 (0.4)

.......... 5,190 100.0 – 19.2 (2.1) 51.6 (3.2) 19.1 (2.3) 3.8 (0.9) 5.0 (1.1) 1.3 (0.8)

etime:

.......... 6,752 100.0 100.0 – – – – – –

.......... 13,395 100.0 . . . 9.0 (1.1) 90.7 (1.1) – – – *

.......... 6,485 100.0 . . . 8.3 (1.1) 80.1 (1.7) 11.6 (1.6) – – *

.......... 6,054 100.0 . . . 7.8 (1.5) 77.1 (2.5) 10.5 (1.9) 4.5 (1.1) – *

.......... 27,744 100.0 . . . 4.7 (0.5) 72.5 (1.4) 11.7 (0.8) 4.6 (0.5) 6.4 (0.7) *

.......... 6,210 100.0 0.8 (0.3) 6.4 (1.2) 78.5 (2.3) 8.7 (1.5) 2.5 (0.5) 1.4 (0.4) 1.8 (0.8)

.......... 11,793 100.0 1.2 (0.5) 6.2 (0.7) 80.2 (1.6) 6.7 (0.9) 2.0 (0.5) 3.1 (0.8) 0.7 (0.3)

.......... 13,537 100.0 4.5 (2.0) 7.3 (1.0) 75.1 (2.2) 7.6 (1.0) 2.3 (0.5) 2.9 (0.8) 0.3 (0.1)

.......... 15,543 100.0 4.0 (1.2) 6.0 (0.8) 82.8 (1.7) 4.3 (0.8) 1.2 (0.3) 1.3 (0.3) 0.5 (0.2)

.......... 10,377 100.0 10.5 (1.0) 5.5 (0.7) 71.4 (1.5) 5.9 (0.8) 2.4 (0.6) 2.6 (0.5) 1.8 (0.6)

.......... 37,660 100.0 11.6 (1.8) 5.5 (0.5) 70.3 (1.7) 7.3 (0.7) 2.1 (0.3) 2.9 (0.4) 0.4 (0.1)

.......... 8,452 100.0 9.7 (1.4) 9.5 (1.2) 59.5 (2.1) 12.0 (1.4) 4.6 (0.9) 3.2 (0.4) 1.6 (0.7)

ision.

of sexual contact (vaginal, oral, or anal sex) as reported in the audio computer-assisted self interview (ACASI).

groups and females with missing data on number of lifetime partners, not shown separately.

view. GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.

nding. ‘‘Did not report’’ includes ‘‘don’t know’’ and ‘‘refused’’ responses, as well as responses that were not ascertained due to interview breakoffs before these ACASI questions.

owth, 2002 and 2006–2008.
Page 18 National Health Statistics Reports

n Number 36n March 3, 2011

ual partners in the 12 months prior to interview among males aged 15–44 years, by selected characteristics: United States, 2002 and

Never had

Had sex with

opposite sex

Number of opposite-sex (female) sexual partners in last 12 months1

sexual contact but not

Number in with opposite in last 4 or Did not

thousands Total sex 12 months 1 2 3 more report

Percent distribution (standard error)

.......... 61,147 100.0 10.0 (0.6) 6.4 (0.4) 62.7 (1.1) 8.0 (0.5) 4.1 (0.4) 6.8 (0.4) 2.0 (0.4).......... 62,199 100.0 11.2 (1.0) 6.6 (0.5) 62.5 (1.2) 8.6 (0.7) 3.9 (0.3) 6.0 (0.5) 1.3 (0.2)

.......... 10,777 100.0 41.6 (2.3) 8.2 (1.0) 25.6 (2.0) 11.1 (1.5) 5.0 (0.7) 5.6 (0.8) 3.0 (0.8)

.......... 6,643 100.0 52.4 (2.9) 7.7 (1.3) 20.4 (2.7) 8.5 (1.3) 3.6 (0.8) 3.7 (0.8) 3.7 (1.2)

.......... 4,134 100.0 24.1 (2.9) 9.0 (1.7) 33.9 (3.3) 15.1 (2.8) 7.4 (1.4) 8.7 (1.7) 1.7 (0.6)

.......... 10,404 100.0 14.3 (3.1) 5.9 (0.9) 49.8 (2.2) 12.2 (1.7) 6.8 (1.1) 9.5 (1.5) 1.5 (0.9)

.......... 41,019 100.0 2.3 (0.3) 6.3 (0.7) 75.4 (1.3) 7.0 (0.7) 2.9 (0.4) 5.2 (0.6) 0.9 (0.2)

.......... 10,431 100.0 3.8 (0.8) 5.6 (1.2) 68.6 (2.1) 9.7 (1.2) 4.0 (0.9) 7.5 (1.2) 0.8 (0.3)

.......... 9,575 100.0 3.1 (0.8) 4.8 (0.8) 77.4 (2.4) 6.2 (1.0) 2.4 (0.6) 5.1 (1.2) 0.9 (0.3)

.......... 10,318 100.0 1.3 (0.5) 5.7 (0.9) 77.2 (2.0) 7.3 (1.4) 3.4 (0.8) 4.4 (1.3) 0.7 (0.3)

.......... 10,695 100.0 1.2 (0.3) 9.1 (1.8) 78.6 (2.5) 4.7 (1.7) 1.7 (0.4) 3.6 (0.8) 1.0 (0.6)

.......... 24,763 100.0 – 1.5 (0.5) 93.8 (0.9) 2.0 (0.5) 0.6 (0.3) 1.3 (0.3) 0.8 (0.3)

.......... 7,301 100.0 – 0.7 (0.3) 83.6 (2.1) 6.6 (1.4) 2.5 (0.9) 6.0 (1.8) 0.6 (0.3)

.......... 27,012 100.0 25.7 (2.0) 11.7 (1.0) 30.6 (1.5) 14.1 (1.2) 6.7 (0.6) 9.1 (0.8) 2.2 (0.5)

.......... 3,123 100.0 – 16.2 (2.8) 39.9 (3.3) 17.7 (3.0) 9.6 (1.8) 16.4 (3.1) *

ifetime:

.......... 6,906 100.0 100.0 . . . – – – – –

.......... 9,072 100.0 . . . 13.4 (1.8) 86.1 (1.8) – – – 0.6 (0.2)

.......... 4,570 100.0 . . . 15.4 (2.3) 70.8 (2.6) 13.7 (2.1) – – *

.......... 4,231 100.0 . . . 9.9 (1.7) 68.9 (2.9) 14.0 (2.4) 7.2 (1.4) – –

.......... 35,700 100.0 . . . 4.2 (0.6) 67.9 (1.3) 11.4 (1.0) 5.9 (0.5) 10.3 (0.8) 0.4 (0.3)

.......... 8,530 100.0 1.2 (0.5) 6.4 (1.4) 73.3 (3.0) 7.2 (1.6) 3.4 (0.8) 5.9 (1.5) 2.5 (1.2)

.......... 12,278 100.0 3.0 (0.8) 6.5 (1.3) 71.8 (2.2) 7.5 (1.1) 3.7 (0.7) 6.7 (0.9) 0.8 (0.2)

.......... 13,521 100.0 6.8 (2.6) 6.9 (1.3) 69.4 (2.6) 7.2 (1.1) 3.8 (0.8) 5.5 (1.2) 0.5 (0.2)

.......... 13,112 100.0 5.0 (1.0) 5.7 (1.0) 74.7 (2.3) 7.9 (1.8) 2.4 (0.5) 3.4 (0.8) 0.8 (0.3)

.......... 11,724 100.0 7.6 (0.7) 7.9 (1.2) 60.5 (2.0) 9.8 (1.2) 4.3 (0.5) 7.4 (1.2) 2.5 (0.7)

.......... 37,374 100.0 11.5 (1.6) 6.5 (0.6) 65.2 (1.6) 7.9 (0.9) 3.1 (0.4) 5.1 (0.6) 0.8 (0.2)

.......... 7,186 100.0 9.2 (1.7) 4.7 (0.8) 52.7 (2.8) 13.9 (1.7) 7.5 (1.3) 10.8 (1.2) 1.2 (0.4)

ision.

e of sexual contact (vaginal, oral, or anal sex) as reported in the audio computer-assisted self interview (ACASI).

roups and males with missing data on number of lifetime partners, not shown separately.

ew. GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.

nding. ‘‘Did not report’’ includes ‘‘don’t know’’ and ‘‘refused’’ responses, as well as responses that were not ascertained due to interview breakoffs before these ACASI questions.

owth, 2002 and 2006–2008.
National Health Statistics Reports

n Number 36n March 3, 2011 Page 19

ual partners in lifetime among females aged 15–44 years, by selected characteristics: United States, 2002 and 2006–2008

Number of opposite-sex (male) partners in lifetime1

Number in 15 or Median

thousands Total 0 1 2 3–6 7–14 more number2

Percent distribution (standard error)

.......... 61,561 100.0 8.6 (0.4) 22.5 (0.8) 10.8 (0.4) 32.6 (0.8) 16.3 (0.7) 9.2 (0.4) 3.3 (0.1).......... 61,865 100.0 11.3 (1.3) 22.2 (1.2) 10.7 (0.7) 31.6 (1.2) 16.0 (0.9) 8.3 (0.6) 3.2 (0.2)

.......... 10,431 100.0 48.1 (2.8) 22.7 (1.8) 8.2 (1.0) 15.7 (1.4) 4.1 (0.9) 1.1 (0.4) 1.4 (0.2)

.......... 10,140 100.0 12.6 (3.4) 24.5 (1.7) 12.5 (1.6) 31.6 (2.8) 11.7 (1.2) 7.2 (1.2) 2.6 (0.2)

.......... 41,294 100.0 1.6 (0.4) 21.4 (1.6) 10.9 (0.9) 35.6 (1.3) 20.1 (1.2) 10.4 (0.8) 3.6 (0.2)

.......... 10,250 100.0 3.4 (1.1) 20.0 (1.9) 12.4 (1.5) 31.0 (2.3) 20.4 (2.0) 12.8 (1.7) 3.6 (0.3)

.......... 9,587 100.0 1.9 (0.6) 20.9 (2.5) 10.6 (1.6) 31.9 (2.1) 21.3 (2.4) 13.4 (1.9) 4.2 (0.4)

.......... 10,475 100.0 0.9 (0.4) 22.2 (2.1) 9.9 (1.3) 38.3 (2.8) 20.8 (2.4) 7.9 (1.2) 3.5 (0.3)

.......... 10,982 100.0 0.4 (0.1) 22.4 (2.6) 10.8 (1.9) 40.5 (3.0) 18.0 (1.9) 8.0 (1.1) 3.4 (0.3)

.......... 27,006 100.0 – 32.2 (2.3) 12.3 (1.1) 34.4 (1.7) 15.0 (1.4) 6.1 (0.8) 2.5 (0.2)

.......... 6,821 100.0 – 12.8 (2.1) 11.6 (1.8) 37.0 (2.8) 24.9 (3.0) 13.7 (1.8) 4.6 (0.4)

.......... 22,847 100.0 30.5 (3.1) 16.4 (1.1) 9.1 (0.9) 25.2 (1.6) 11.9 (1.0) 6.9 (0.7) 3.2 (0.2)

.......... 5,190 100.0 – 6.8 (1.6) 8.7 (1.9) 37.7 (3.0) 28.0 (2.8) 18.8 (2.1) 5.3 (0.5)

.......... 6,210 100.0 0.8 (0.4) 22.2 (2.9) 12.5 (2.0) 36.4 (3.0) 16.4 (2.3) 11.7 (1.9) 3.2 (0.4)

.......... 11,793 100.0 1.2 (0.5) 16.6 (2.0) 10.1 (1.1) 38.3 (2.4) 22.2 (1.9) 11.6 (1.4) 4.1 (0.3)

.......... 13,537 100.0 4.5 (2.0) 17.8 (1.7) 11.8 (1.4) 33.3 (2.2) 20.5 (1.9) 12.2 (1.5) 4.1 (0.3)

.......... 15,543 100.0 4.0 (1.2) 27.7 (2.5) 10.9 (1.6) 32.9 (2.5) 17.7 (1.6) 6.8 (0.9) 2.9 (0.3)

.......... 10,377 100.0 10.7 (1.0) 35.0 (1.8) 16.7 (1.4) 26.6 (2.0) 6.6 (0.8) 4.4 (0.7) 1.6 (0.1)

.......... 37,660 100.0 11.7 (1.9) 19.2 (1.4) 9.7 (0.8) 31.4 (1.7) 18.9 (1.3) 8.9 (0.8) 3.7 (0.2)

.......... 8,452 100.0 10.5 (1.5) 12.3 (1.5) 8.3 (1.1) 40.9 (2.2) 16.7 (1.4) 11.3 (1.4) 4.4 (0.2)

of sexual contact (vaginal, oral, or anal sex). ‘‘In lifetime’’ refers to time of inteview.

r anal sex with a male partner.

groups, not shown separately.

view. GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.

ding.

urvey of Family Growth, 2006–2008.
ual partners in lifetime among males aged 15–44 years, by selected characteristics: United States, 2002 and 2006–2008

Number of opposite-sex (female) partners in lifetime1

Number in 15 or Median

thousands Total 0 1 2 3–6 7–14 more number2

Percent distribution (standard error)

.......... 61,147 100.0 9.6 (0.6) 12.5 (0.8) 8.0 (0.6) 27.2 (1.0) 19.5 (0.9) 23.2 (1.0) 5.6 (0.2).......... 62,199 100.0 11.4 (1.0) 15.0 (1.0) 7.6 (0.6) 26.5 (1.2) 18.1 (0.8) 21.4 (1.1) 5.1 (0.2)

.......... 10,777 100.0 43.3 (2.4) 21.2 (1.9) 9.4 (1.1) 17.6 (1.5) 5.4 (1.0) 3.1 (0.6) 1.8 (0.2)

.......... 10,404 100.0 14.4 (3.1) 19.1 (2.8) 8.0 (1.3) 26.1 (2.9) 18.1 (2.6) 14.2 (2.3) 4.1 (0.6)

.......... 41,019 100.0 2.4 (0.4) 12.3 (1.0) 7.0 (0.7) 28.9 (1.3) 21.5 (1.3) 27.9 (1.6) 6.1 (0.3)

.......... 10,431 100.0 3.8 (0.8) 11.8 (1.5) 8.9 (1.4) 29.5 (2.3) 22.9 (2.1) 23.1 (1.6) 5.7 (0.3)

.......... 9,575 100.0 3.1 (0.8) 14.2 (1.8) 6.1 (1.0) 26.6 (3.0) 21.7 (2.4) 28.3 (3.1) 6.4 (1.0)

.......... 10,318 100.0 1.4 (0.5) 13.3 (2.4) 5.6 (0.9) 29.7 (2.4) 19.6 (2.2) 30.6 (3.0) 6.2 (0.9)

.......... 10,695 100.0 1.3 (0.3) 10.3 (1.7) 7.2 (1.2) 29.7 (2.5) 21.6 (2.8) 30.0 (2.8) 6.4 (0.8)

.......... 24,763 100.0 – 19.1 (1.9) 7.5 (0.9) 30.7 (2.0) 20.7 (1.6) 22.1 (2.0) 4.9 (0.3)

.......... 7,301 100.0 – 10.3 (3.0) 7.6 (1.6) 24.4 (3.0) 25.9 (2.5) 31.8 (2.9) 7.3 (0.8)

.......... 27,012 100.0 26.3 (2.0) 14.1 (0.9) 8.2 (0.8) 23.6 (1.6) 12.9 (1.0) 14.9 (1.2) 4.1 (0.2)

.......... 3,123 100.0 – 1.4 (0.8) 2.2 (1.0) 23.9 (2.7) 25.1 (3.3) 47.4 (3.5) 11.9 (1.3)

.......... 8,530 100.0 1.2 (0.5) 9.9 (1.9) 9.8 (2.3) 31.2 (4.5) 21.5 (2.2) 26.4 (3.2) 5.8 (0.5)

.......... 12,278 100.0 3.1 (0.9) 12.2 (2.3) 5.2 (0.8) 27.5 (2.2) 23.3 (2.1) 28.8 (2.3) 6.7 (0.8)

.......... 13,521 100.0 6.9 (2.7) 10.3 (2.5) 5.2 (0.8) 29.6 (3.0) 19.3 (2.1) 28.8 (2.7) 6.4 (0.8)

.......... 13,112 100.0 5.1 (1.0) 18.9 (1.7) 8.4 (1.3) 26.4 (1.9) 20.0 (2.1) 21.2 (2.2) 4.8 (0.4)

.......... 11,724 100.0 7.9 (0.7) 12.5 (1.1) 10.2 (1.5) 32.6 (2.5) 17.8 (1.6) 19.1 (1.7) 4.6 (0.3)

.......... 37,374 100.0 11.6 (1.7) 16.1 (1.5) 7.3 (0.7) 25.7 (1.6) 18.4 (1.2) 20.9 (1.6) 5.1 (0.3)

.......... 7,186 100.0 9.6 (1.8) 8.3 (1.3) 5.0 (1.0) 25.6 (2.0) 21.6 (2.3) 30.0 (2.1) 6.9 (0.8)

e of sexual contact (vaginal, oral, or anal sex). ‘‘In lifetime’’ refers to time of inteview.

r anal sex with a female partner.

roups, not shown separately.

view. GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.

ding.

urvey of Family Growth, 2006–2008.

Page 20 National Health Statistics Reportsn Number 36n March 3, 2011
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011 Page 21

Table 5. Sexual behavior with opposite-sex and same-sex partners among females aged 15–44 years, by selected characteristics:

United States, 2002 and 2006–2008

Opposite-sex sexual behavior

Number in Vaginal Oral Anal Any same-sex

Characteristic thousands Any1 intercourse sex sex sexual behavior2

2002 Percent (standard error)

All females aged 15–44 years3 ................... 61,561 91.7 (0.4) 89.2 (0.5) 82.0 (0.6) 30.0 (0.7) 11.2 (0.5)

2006–2008

All females aged 15–44 years3 ................... 61,865 89.0 (1.3) 86.8 (1.3) 80.1 (1.4) 30.7 (1.3) 12.5 (0.8)

Age:

15–19 years ............................. 10,431 53.0 (2.7) 45.6 (2.5) 44.6 (2.5) 10.5 (1.2) 11.0 (1.0)

15–17 years ............................ 5,833 39.7 (2.7) 33.0 (2.2) 30.2 (2.3) 7.0 (1.2) 10.3 (1.3)

18–19 years ............................ 4,598 70.0 (4.8) 61.7 (4.7) 62.9 (4.7) 14.9 (2.1) 11.9 (1.8)

20–24 years ............................. 10,140 87.7 (3.4) 85.0 (3.6) 81.1 (3.3) 30.2 (2.4) 15.8 (1.8)

25–44 years ............................. 41,294 98.4 (0.4) 97.6 (0.4) 88.8 (0.8) 36.0 (1.6) 12.0 (0.9)

25–29 years ............................ 10,250 96.6 (1.1) 95.2 (1.0) 88.5 (1.6) 38.5 (2.4) 15.0 (1.5)

30–34 years ............................ 9,587 98.1 (0.6) 97.6 (0.7) 88.6 (1.5) 34.8 (2.4) 14.2 (1.7)

35–39 years ............................ 10,475 99.1 (0.4) 98.5 (0.8) 89.7 (1.2) 38.3 (3.1) 11.5 (2.5)

40–44 years ............................ 10,982 99.7 (0.1) 99.2 (0.4) 88.6 (1.4) 32.4 (2.7) 7.9 (1.4)

Marital or cohabiting status:

Currently married .......................... 27,006 100.0 100.0 91.0 (0.8) 33.7 (2.1) 8.3 (1.1)

Currently cohabiting......................... 6,821 100.0 100.0 90.2 (1.7) 44.6 (3.0) 20.5 (2.0)

Never married, not cohabiting................... 22,847 70.1 (3.1) 64.1 (3.0) 61.7 (2.8) 20.1 (1.3) 13.4 (1.0)

Formerly married, not cohabiting ................. 5,190 100.0 100.0 91.1 (1.9) 43.3 (3.3) 19.6 (2.6)

Education4

:

No high school diploma or GED ................. 6,210 99.2 (0.3) 99.2 (0.3) 75.1 (3.0) 32.2 (2.6) 15.2 (2.1)

High school diploma or GED ................... 11,793 98.8 (0.5) 98.6 (0.5) 87.4 (1.7) 38.9 (2.5) 14.2 (1.8)

Some college, no bachelor’s degree .............. 13,537 95.5 (2.0) 94.4 (2.0) 89.9 (1.9) 37.3 (2.4) 13.8 (1.4)

Bachelor’s degree or higher.................... 15,543 96.0 (1.2) 94.4 (1.2) 91.2 (1.6) 34.0 (2.8) 9.9 (1.3)

Hispanic origin and race:

Hispanic or Latina .......................... 10,377 89.5 (1.0) 88.9 (0.9) 69.8 (1.4) 24.7 (1.7) 6.3 (0.9)

Not Hispanic or Latina:

White, single race ........................ 37,660 88.4 (1.8) 85.7 (1.8) 84.8 (2.0) 34.3 (2.0) 14.6 (1.1)

Black or African American, single race ............ 8,452 90.2 (1.4) 88.6 (1.5) 74.2 (2.3) 24.6 (1.4) 11.3 (1.4)

1

Includes vaginal, oral, or anal sex. See Methods section for description of all questions on sexual behavior used in this report.
 2

Includes oral sex or any sexual experience. See Methods section for description of all questions on sexual behavior used in this report.
 3

Includes females of other or multiple race and origin groups, not shown separately.
 4

Limited to females 22–44 years of age at time of interview. GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.
 

NOTE: Respondents could report whatever types of sexual contact they have had, with either opposite-sex or same-sex partners.
 

SOURCES: Reference 9 and CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2008.
 
Page 22 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011

Table 6. Sexual behavior with opposite-sex and same-sex partners among males aged 15–44 years, by selected characteristics:

United States, 2002 and 2006–2008

Opposite-sex sexual behavior

Number in Vaginal Oral Anal Any same-sex

Characteristic thousands Any1 intercourse sex sex sexual behavior2

2002 Percent (standard error)

All males aged 15–44 years3 .................... 61,147 90.8 (0.6) 87.6 (0.7) 83.0 (0.8) 34.0 (1.1) 6.0 (0.5)

2006–2008

All males aged 15–44 years3 .................... 62,199 88.8 (1.0) 85.6 (1.1) 81.3 (1.1) 35.8 (1.4) 5.2 (0.5)

Age:

15–19 years ............................. 10,777 58.0 (2.3) 44.8 (2.5) 48.4 (2.1) 10.2 (1.2) 2.5 (0.7)

15–17 years ............................ 6,643 46.8 (2.9) 31.8 (3.1) 35.0 (2.3) 6.2 (1.1) 1.7 (0.7)

18–19 years ............................ 4,134 75.8 (2.9) 65.6 (3.5) 69.8 (2.9) 16.6 (2.8) 3.8 (1.2)

20–24 years ............................. 10,404 85.7 (3.1) 81.5 (3.6) 80.1 (3.3) 31.9 (3.3) 5.6 (1.1)

25–44 years ............................. 41,019 97.7 (0.3) 97.3 (0.4) 90.4 (0.8) 43.5 (1.7) 5.8 (0.6)

25–29 years ............................ 10,431 96.2 (0.8) 95.6 (0.9) 90.5 (1.5) 42.5 (2.4) 5.2 (1.1)

30–34 years ............................ 9,575 96.9 (0.8) 96.7 (0.8) 89.4 (1.6) 45.2 (2.7) 4.0 (0.9)

35–39 years ............................ 10,318 98.7 (0.5) 98.4 (0.5) 90.6 (2.1) 45.0 (3.5) 5.7 (0.9)

40–44 years ............................ 10,695 98.8 (0.3) 98.5 (0.4) 90.8 (1.6) 41.7 (3.4) 8.1 (1.6)

Marital or cohabiting status:

Currently married .......................... 24,763 100.0 100.0 92.5 (0.9) 42.5 (2.2) 3.5 (0.6)

Currently cohabiting......................... 7,301 100.0 100.0 89.8 (2.7) 47.7 (3.1) 3.2 (0.9)

Never married, not cohabiting................... 27,012 74.2 (2.0) 66.8 (2.2) 67.2 (2.0) 23.5 (1.4) 7.2 (0.9)

Formerly married, not cohabiting ................. 3,123 100.0 100.0 97.0 (1.0) 62.1 (4.1) 6.4 (1.3)

Education4

:

No high school diploma or GED ................. 8,530 98.8 (0.5) 98.7 (0.5) 82.8 (2.2) 40.7 (2.7) 3.6 (1.0)

High school diploma or GED ................... 12,278 97.0 (0.8) 96.6 (0.9) 89.9 (1.5) 44.1 (2.2) 5.1 (0.9)

Some college, no bachelor’s degree .............. 13,521 93.2 (2.6) 91.8 (3.0) 89.3 (2.9) 46.7 (3.5) 8.0 (1.5)

Bachelor’s degree or higher.................... 13,112 95.0 (1.0) 94.1 (1.1) 90.4 (1.4) 36.7 (2.6) 6.7 (0.9)

Hispanic origin and race:

Hispanic or Latino .......................... 11,724 92.4 (0.7) 89.7 (0.8) 76.9 (1.5) 38.6 (1.7) 3.8 (0.6)

Not Hispanic or Latino:

White, single race ........................ 37,374 88.5 (1.6) 84.8 (1.8) 84.7 (1.9) 38.0 (2.0) 6.0 (0.7)

Black or African American, single race ............ 7,186 90.7 (1.7) 87.9 (1.7) 78.4 (2.6) 26.9 (2.3) 2.4 (0.5)

1

Includes vaginal, oral, or anal sex. See Methods section for description of all questions on sexual behavior used in this report.
 2

Includes oral or anal sex. See Methods section for description of all questions on sexual behavior used in this report.
 3

Includes males of other or multiple race and origin groups, not shown separately.
 4

Limited to males 22–44 years of age at time of interview. GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.
 

NOTE: Respondents could report whatever types of sexual contact they have had, with either opposite-sex or same-sex partners.
 

SOURCES: Reference 9 and CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2008.
 
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011 Page 23 

te-sex and same-sex partners among females and males aged 15–24 years, by selected characteristics: United States, 2002 and 

Opposite-sex sexual behavior Oral Any opposite- Any No sexual Number in sex sexual Vaginal Any Gave Received Anal same-sex contact with 

thousands contact1 intercourse oral sex oral sex oral sex sex behavior2 another person 

Percent (standard error) 

.......... 19,674 77.3 (1.1) 70.2 (1.3) 68.6 (1.3) 59.8 (1.2) 64.9 (1.3) 20.3 (1.0) 12.4 (0.9) 21.9 (1.1) 

.......... 20,091 77.4 (1.3) 68.1 (1.7) 68.5 (1.5) 55.4 (1.6) 65.6 (1.6) 21.7 (1.3) 5.0 (0.5) 21.9 (1.3) 

.......... 20,570 70.1 (2.8) 65.1 (2.7) 62.6 (2.6) 55.8 (2.6) 59.2 (2.6) 20.2 (1.5) 13.4 (1.1) 28.6 (2.8) 

.......... 10,431 53.0 (2.7) 45.6 (2.5) 44.6 (2.5) 37.5 (2.5) 40.6 (2.4) 10.5 (1.2) 11.0 (1.0) 45.0 (2.8) 

.......... 5,833 39.7 (2.7) 33.0 (2.2) 30.2 (2.3) 25.1 (2.0) 26.8 (2.2) 7.0 (1.2) 10.3 (1.3) 58.2 (2.7) 

.......... 2,147 32.3 (5.1) 23.2 (4.0) 22.7 (4.2) 16.0 (3.2) 20.3 (4.1) 4.6 (1.6) 11.0 (3.0) 64.1 (5.2) 

.......... 1,830 39.4 (3.7) 33.6 (3.9) 32.4 (3.5) 29.2 (3.4) 29.2 (3.6) 5.4 (1.6) 7.3 (1.5) 60.4 (3.8) 

.......... 1,856 48.5 (4.1) 43.6 (3.9) 36.7 (4.0) 31.4 (3.6) 32.0 (3.7) 11.2 (2.5) 12.5 (2.6) 49.2 (3.9) 

.......... 4,598 70.0 (4.8) 61.7 (4.7) 62.9 (4.7) 53.2 (5.1) 58.2 (4.5) 14.9 (2.1) 11.9 (1.8) 28.0 (4.9) 

.......... 10,140 87.7 (3.4) 85.0 (3.6) 81.1 (3.3) 74.6 (3.4) 78.4 (3.3) 30.2 (2.4) 15.8 (1.8) 11.9 (3.3) 

.......... 3,517 70.3 (3.1) 69.0 (2.9) 58.0 (3.0) 50.4 (3.8) 51.7 (2.8) 19.5 (2.6) 8.8 (1.6) 28.1 (3.1) 

.......... 1,812 50.3 (3.7) 48.2 (3.4) 41.1 (3.1) 32.9 (4.4) 37.5 (3.1) 10.7 (2.1) 8.3 (1.7) 46.7 (3.7) 

.......... 1,705 91.9 (2.1) 91.2 (2.2) 76.4 (4.4) 69.4 (4.6) 67.8 (4.2) 29.0 (4.6) 9.4 (2.5) 8.1 (2.1) 

. . . . . . . . . . 12,309 67.8 (3.7) 61.2 (3.5) 64.7 (3.5) 59.8 (3.8) 61.6 (3.4) 19.8 (1.7) 14.7 (1.7) 31.0 (3.7) 

.......... 6,186 51.8 (3.6) 42.0 (3.1) 47.7 (3.5) 42.6 (3.6) 43.0 (3.2) 10.1 (1.3) 12.1 (1.4) 46.3 (3.6) 

.......... 6,122 84.0 (4.7) 80.6 (5.0) 81.8 (4.7) 77.0 (5.2) 80.3 (4.7) 29.6 (3.6) 17.3 (3.0) 15.7 (4.7) 

.......... 3,047 75.8 (3.1) 72.1 (3.2) 59.1 (3.2) 43.1 (3.7) 57.3 (3.2) 19.5 (2.4) 13.2 (2.3) 22.6 (3.1) 

.......... 1,606 59.1 (5.6) 53.1 (5.1) 38.2 (4.9) 22.5 (3.7) 35.4 (4.7) 8.8 (2.0) 10.0 (2.8) 39.2 (5.4) 

.......... 1,440 94.0 (2.0) 93.4 (2.0) 81.7 (3.9) 66.0 (5.3) 81.0 (3.9) 31.4 (4.3) 16.7 (3.8) 4.4 (1.6) 

.......... 21,181 71.7 (2.0) 62.9 (2.1) 64.0 (2.1) 52.2 (2.1) 61.9 (2.2) 20.9 (1.6) 4.0 (0.7) 27.2 (2.1) 

.......... 10,777 58.0 (2.3) 44.8 (2.5) 48.4 (2.1) 34.9 (1.9) 46.7 (2.1) 10.2 (1.2) 2.5 (0.7) 41.1 (2.3) 

.......... 6,643 46.8 (2.9) 31.8 (3.1) 35.0 (2.3) 22.5 (1.9) 33.4 (2.3) 6.2 (1.1) 1.7 (0.7) 52.6 (2.8) 

.......... 2,250 34.0 (3.3) 20.6 (3.1) 26.5 (3.4) 16.6 (2.8) 24.7 (3.4) 2.8 (1.0) * 65.6 (3.4) 

.......... 2,328 46.3 (4.8) 31.5 (4.9) 31.6 (4.0) 16.8 (2.8) 30.0 (3.9) 5.0 (1.6) 2.2 (1.5) 53.4 (4.8) 

.......... 2,065 61.4 (4.6) 44.4 (4.7) 48.0 (4.7) 35.2 (4.2) 46.8 (4.8) 11.4 (2.9) * 37.4 (4.5) 

.......... 4,134 75.8 (2.9) 65.6 (3.5) 69.8 (2.9) 54.8 (3.3) 67.9 (2.9) 16.6 (2.8) 3.9 (1.2) 22.9 (2.9) 

.......... 10,404 85.7 (3.1) 81.5 (3.6) 80.1 (3.3) 70.0 (3.5) 77.6 (3.6) 31.9 (3.3) 5.6 (1.1) 13.0 (3.4) 

.......... 3,796 79.4 (1.9) 71.4 (2.2) 69.0 (1.9) 52.4 (4.5) 66.6 (2.2) 30.8 (2.8) 2.3 (0.6) 20.4 (1.8) 

.......... 1,891 63.0 (3.2) 47.9 (3.6) 52.5 (3.7) 34.4 (3.9) 49.1 (3.8) 12.4 (2.4) 2.6 (0.8) 36.7 (3.2) 

.......... 1,905 95.5 (1.7) 94.6 (1.8) 85.6 (3.4) 70.6 (5.5) 84.2 (3.5) 49.2 (4.0) 2.0 (1.0) 4.3 (1.6) 

. . . . . . . . . . 12,878 70.8 (3.2) 60.9 (3.1) 65.3 (3.4) 57.9 (3.5) 63.1 (3.6) 20.1 (2.4) 4.1 (0.8) 28.2 (3.2) 

.......... 6,208 56.3 (3.4) 42.0 (3.5) 49.4 (3.0) 40.7 (2.8) 48.0 (3.0) 10.3 (1.7) 2.2 (0.7) 42.8 (3.3) 

.......... 6,671 84.2 (5.0) 78.5 (5.2) 80.0 (5.3) 73.9 (5.9) 77.1 (5.7) 29.1 (4.6) 5.9 (1.5) 14.7 (5.1) 
Page 24 National Health Statistics Reports

n Number 36n March 3, 2011

te-sex and same-sex partners among females and males aged 15–24 years, by selected characteristics: United States, 2002 and

Opposite-sex sexual behavior

Oral

Number in

thousands

Any oppositesex sexual

contact1

Vaginal

intercourse

Any

oral sex

Gave

oral sex

Received

oral sex

Anal

sex

Any

same-sex

behavior2

No sexual

contact with

another person

..........

....................

2,7991,5581,241

79.0 (3.7)71.5 (5.6)88.3 (3.7)

72.2 (3.5)60.1 (5.2)87.1 (3.6)

62.8 (4.5)48.2 (5.4)81.0 (5.9)

38.4 (3.2)21.4 (3.7)59.8 (5.7)

61.4 (4.4)47.6 (5.4)78.6 (5.9)

17.2 (3.1)

9.6 (2.8)

26.6 (5.4)

2.5 (0.9)

*

4.5 (1.8)

20.7 (3.7)

28.1 (5.7)

11.7 (3.7)

ision.

ction for description of all questions on sexual behavior used in this report.

nce. For males, includes oral or anal sex with male partners. See Methods section for description of all questions on sexual behavior used in this report.

roups, not shown separately.

ntact they may have had. As a result, percentages reporting specified types of sex with opposite-sex partners may add to more than the percentage reporting any opposite-sex sexual contact. Similarly,

ther person may be larger than the difference from 100% of the sum of the percentages reporting opposite-sex and same-sex partners because repondents could report contact with both opposite-sex

urvey of Family Growth, 2006–2008.
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011 Page 25

Table 8. Type of sexual behavior with an opposite-sex partner among females and males aged 15–24 years, by selected characteristics:

United States, 2002 and 2006–2008

Type of sexual behavior with opposite-sex partners

Characteristic

Number in

thousands Total

Vaginal

intercourse

Oral sex,

but no

vaginal

intercourse

No vaginal

intercourse or

oral sex,

but other

sexual contact

Never

had oppositesex sexual

contact

2002 Percent distribution (standard error)

All females aged 15–24 years1 ................... 19,674 100.0 70.1 (1.3) 7.2 (0.7) – 22.7 (1.1)

All males aged 15–24 years1 .................... 20,091 100.0 67.9 (1.6) 8.0 (0.8) 1.6 (0.3) 22.6 (1.3)

2006–2008

All females aged 15–24 years1 ................... 20,570 100.0 65.2 (2.7) 4.9 (0.7) – 29.9 (2.8)

Age:

15–19 years ............................ 10,431 100.0 45.9 (2.5) 7.1 (1.2) – 47.0 (2.7)

15–17 years........................... 5,833 100.0 33.0 (2.2) 6.7 (1.6) – 60.3 (2.7)

18–19 years........................... 4,598 100.0 62.3 (4.7) 7.6 (1.8) – 30.0 (4.8)

20–24 years ............................ 10,140 100.0 85.1 (3.6) 2.6 (0.7) – 12.3 (3.4)

Hispanic origin and race:

Hispanic or Latina ........................ 3,517 100.0 69.0 (2.9) 1.4 (0.6) – 29.7 (3.1)

15–19 years........................... 1,812 100.0 48.2 (3.4) 2.0 (0.9) – 49.8 (3.7)

20–24 years........................... 1,705 100.0 91.2 (2.2) * – 8.1 (2.1)

Not Hispanic or Latina:

White, single race ....................... 12,309 100.0 61.2 (3.5) 6.6 (0.9) – 32.2 (3.7)

15–19 years ......................... 6,186 100.0 42.1 (3.1) 9.8 (1.6) – 48.2 (3.6)

20–24 years ......................... 6,122 100.0 80.6 (5.0) 3.4 (1.0) – 16.0 (4.7)

Black or African American, single race ............ 3,047 100.0 73.2 (3.0) 2.5 (1.3) – 24.3 (3.1)

15–19 years........................... 1,606 100.0 54.6 (5.0) 4.5 (2.3) – 40.9 (5.6)

20–24 years........................... 1,440 100.0 93.6 (2.0) * – 6.0 (2.0)

All males aged 15–24 years1 .................... 21,181 100.0 62.9 (2.1) 6.8 (0.8) 1.9 (0.5) 28.3 (2.0)

Age:

15–19 years ............................ 10,777 100.0 44.9 (2.5) 9.4 (1.1) 3.8 (0.9) 42.0 (2.3)

15–17 years........................... 6,643 100.0 31.9 (3.1) 9.8 (1.5) 5.2 (1.4) 53.2 (2.9)

18–19 years........................... 4,134 100.0 65.6 (3.5) 8.7 (1.5) 1.6 (0.5) 24.2 (2.9)

20–24 years ............................ 10,404 100.0 81.5 (3.6) 4.2 (1.0) – 14.3 (3.1)

Hispanic origin and race:

Hispanic or Latino ........................ 3,796 100.0 71.4 (2.2) 6.2 (1.3) 1.7 (0.6) 20.7 (1.9)

15–19 years........................... 1,891 100.0 47.9 (3.6) 11.6 (2.6) 3.5 (1.1) 37.0 (3.2)

20–24 years........................... 1,905 100.0 94.6 (1.8) 0.9 (0.4) – 4.5 (1.7)

Not Hispanic or Latino:

White, single race ....................... 12,878 100.0 61.0 (3.1) 7.8 (1.1) 2.1 (0.7) 29.2 (3.2)

15–19 years ......................... 6,208 100.0 42.1 (3.5) 10.0 (1.5) 4.3 (1.3) 43.7 (3.4)

20–24 years ......................... 6,671 100.0 78.5 (5.2) 5.7 (1.4) – 15.8 (5.0)

Black or African American, single race .......... 2,799 100.0 72.2 (3.5) 4.9 (1.3) 2.0 (0.8) 21.0 (3.7)

15–19 years ......................... 1,558 100.0 60.1 (5.2) 7.8 (2.2) 3.6 (1.4) 28.5 (5.6)

20–24 years ......................... 1,241 100.0 87.1 (3.6) 1.3 (1.0) – 11.7 (3.7)

– Quantity zero.

* Figure does not meet standards of reliability or precision. 1

Includes those of other or multiple race and origin groups, not shown separately.

NOTE: Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.

SOURCES: Reference 9 and CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2008.
Page 26 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011

Table 9. Number of sexual partners in the past 12 months, including same-sex and opposite-sex partners, among females and males

aged 15–44 years, by selected characteristics: United States, 2002 and 2006–2008

Sexual partners in last 12 months1

One

opposite- Two or more

sex partner, opposite-sex

No partner Any but no partners, but

Number in in last same-sex same-sex no same-sex Did not

Characteristic thousands Total 12 months partners partners partners report

Percent distribution (standard error)

All females aged 15–44 years2 ................... 61,865 100.0 15.9 (1.3) 11.7 (0.7) 61.3 (1.2) 9.4 (0.6) 1.7 (0.4)

Age:

15–19 years ............................ 10,431 100.0 51.3 (2.6) 9.5 (0.8) 24.2 (2.0) 13.5 (1.1) 1.6 (0.6)

20–24 years ............................ 10,140 100.0 15.8 (3.3) 15.2 (1.8) 49.5 (2.1) 17.7 (2.5) 1.8 (0.8)

25–44 years ............................ 41,294 100.0 7.0 (0.6) 11.4 (0.8) 73.6 (1.1) 6.3 (0.5) 1.8 (0.5)

25–29 years........................... 10,250 100.0 7.6 (1.3) 14.3 (1.5) 65.1 (2.1) 10.6 (1.4) 2.4 (1.4)

30–34 years........................... 9,587 100.0 5.2 (0.9) 13.6 (1.7) 73.8 (2.0) 6.0 (0.7) 1.5 (0.5)

35–39 years........................... 10,475 100.0 6.8 (1.1) 10.8 (2.4) 76.2 (2.8) 4.2 (0.8) 2.0 (1.0)

40–44 years........................... 10,982 100.0 8.3 (1.2) 7.1 (1.4) 79.0 (2.2) 4.5 (0.8) 1.1 (0.4)

Education3

:

No high school diploma or GED ................ 6,210 100.0 6.7 (1.2) 14.5 (2.1) 68.1 (2.3) 7.5 (1.1) 3.2 (1.0)

High school diploma or GED .................. 11,793 100.0 6.1 (0.8) 13.4 (1.8) 70.6 (2.1) 7.7 (0.9) 2.2 (1.0)

Some college, no bachelor’s degree ............. 13,537 100.0 10.6 (2.3) 13.0 (1.3) 66.3 (2.1) 9.3 (1.2) 0.8 (0.4)

Bachelor’s degree or higher .................. 15,543 100.0 8.4 (1.4) 9.4 (1.3) 75.5 (1.9) 5.2 (0.8) 1.5 (0.7)

Hispanic origin and race:

Hispanic or Latina ........................ 10,377 100.0 14.9 (0.9) 5.6 (0.9) 67.7 (1.7) 8.4 (0.8) 3.5 (1.0)

Not Hispanic or Latina:

White, single race ....................... 37,660 100.0 16.0 (1.8) 13.9 (1.1) 60.8 (1.6) 8.4 (0.8) 0.9 (0.4)

Black or African American, single race .......... 8,452 100.0 17.6 (1.8) 10.6 (1.3) 53.9 (2.2) 15.9 (1.5) 2.1 (0.7)

All males aged 15–44 years1 .................... 62,199 100.0 16.0 (1.2) 4.3 (0.4) 60.2 (1.3) 17.6 (0.8) 2.0 (0.3)

Age:

15–19 years ............................ 10,777 100.0 48.9 (2.6) 1.5 (0.4) 25.1 (1.9) 21.2 (1.7) 3.3 (0.9)

20–24 years ............................ 10,404 100.0 18.3 (3.8) 4.6 (1.0) 48.0 (2.3) 27.2 (2.8) 1.9 (0.9)

25–44 years ............................ 41,019 100.0 6.8 (0.7) 4.9 (0.5) 72.4 (1.4) 14.2 (0.9) 1.7 (0.3)

25–29 years........................... 10,431 100.0 7.6 (1.5) 4.8 (1.0) 65.7 (2.2) 20.3 (1.6) 1.6 (0.5)

30–34 years........................... 9,575 100.0 6.6 (1.2) 3.6 (0.8) 75.3 (2.6) 13.0 (1.6) 1.4 (0.4)

35–39 years........................... 10,318 100.0 5.1 (0.9) 5.0 (0.9) 73.7 (2.0) 14.2 (1.9) 2.0 (0.8)

40–44 years........................... 10,695 100.0 7.7 (1.7) 6.2 (1.0) 75.2 (2.4) 9.3 (1.8) 1.6 (0.6)

Education2

:

No high school diploma or GED ................ 8,530 100.0 6.9 (1.4) 2.6 (0.7) 71.3 (3.2) 15.4 (2.4) 3.8 (1.2)

High school diploma or GED .................. 12,278 100.0 7.4 (1.4) 4.4 (0.9) 69.2 (2.5) 17.3 (1.5) 1.7 (0.4)

Some college, no bachelor’s degree ............. 13,521 100.0 12.1 (3.0) 6.2 (1.1) 65.5 (3.0) 15.2 (1.7) 1.0 (0.5)

Bachelor’s degree or higher .................. 13,112 100.0 7.5 (1.1) 6.4 (0.9) 71.7 (2.5) 13.0 (1.9) 1.4 (0.4)

Hispanic origin and race:

Hispanic or Latino ........................ 11,724 100.0 14.3 (1.1) 3.5 (0.6) 58.7 (2.0) 20.1 (1.5) 3.4 (0.9)

Not Hispanic or Latino:

White, single race ....................... 37,374 100.0 16.2 (1.7) 4.8 (0.6) 62.4 (1.8) 15.5 (1.2) 1.2 (0.3)

Black or African American, single race .......... 7,186 100.0 13.0 (2.0) 2.0 (0.5) 52.0 (2.7) 31.0 (2.3) 2.0 (0.5)

1

Includes vaginal, oral, or anal sex. See Methods section for description of all questions on sexual behavior used in this report.
 

2

Includes those of other or multiple race and origin groups, not shown separately.
 

3

Limited to persons aged 22–44 years at time of interview. GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.
 

NOTE: Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding.
 

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2002 and 2006–2008.
 
National Health Statistics Reports

n Number 36n March 3, 2011 Page 27

ex partners in lifetime among females and males aged 15–44 years, by selected characteristics: United States, 2002 and 2006–2008

Females Males

Number in Any sexual Any oral Number in Any oral Any anal Any oral

thousands experience sex thousands or anal sex sex sex

Percent (standard error) Percent (standard error)

.......... 61,561 11.2 (0.5) --­ 61,147 6.0 (0.5) 3.7 (0.4) 5.7 (0.5).......... 61,865 12.5 (0.8) 9.3 (0.6) 62,199 5.2 (0.5) 2.9 (0.3) 5.0 (0.5)

.......... 10,431 11.0 (1.0) 7.1 (0.8) 10,777 2.5 (0.7) 1.2 (0.4) 2.2 (0.5)

.......... 5,833 10.3 (1.3) 5.4 (1.0) 6,643 1.7 (0.7) 1.1 (0.6) 1.3 (0.5).......... 4,598 11.9 (1.8) 9.3 (1.6) 4,134 3.9 (1.2) 1.5 (0.5) 3.7 (1.2)

.......... 10,140 15.8 (1.8) 11.2 (1.3) 10,404 5.6 (1.1) 2.5 (0.7) 5.6 (1.1).......... 41,294 12.0 (0.9) 9.3 (0.8) 41,019 5.8 (0.6) 3.4 (0.5) 5.7 (0.6)

.......... 10,250 15.0 (1.5) 11.3 (1.2) 10,431 5.2 (1.1) 2.6 (0.6) 5.1 (1.1)

.......... 31,044 11.1 (1.0) 8.7 (0.9) 30,588 6.0 (0.8) 3.7 (0.6) 5.8 (0.8)

.......... 27,006 8.3 (1.1) 5.8 (0.9) 24,763 3.5 (0.6) 1.1 (0.2) 3.3 (0.6)

.......... 6,821 20.5 (2.0) 16.7 (2.0) 7,301 3.2 (0.9) 0.6 (0.3) 3.1 (0.9)

.......... 22,847 13.4 (1.0) 9.5 (0.8) 27,012 7.2 (0.9) 5.0 (0.7) 7.0 (0.9)

.......... 5,190 19.6 (2.6) 16.8 (2.5) 3,123 6.4 (1.3) 3.3 (1.1) 6.3 (1.3)

.......... 6,210 15.2 (2.1) 12.9 (1.9) 8,530 3.6 (1.0) 1.1 (0.3) 3.5 (1.0)

.......... 11,793 14.2 (1.8) 12.3 (1.7) 12,278 5.1 (0.9) 2.8 (0.7) 4.9 (0.9)

.......... 13,537 13.8 (1.4) 11.4 (1.3) 13,521 8.0 (1.5) 4.2 (1.1) 7.8 (1.5)

.......... 15,543 9.9 (1.3) 5.5 (0.8) 13,112 6.7 (0.9) 4.4 (0.8) 6.6 (0.9)

.......... 6,752 4.9 (1.1) 2.9 (0.8) 6,906 7.5 (1.5) 5.1 (0.9) 7.5 (1.5)

.......... 13,395 3.5 (0.6) 2.2 (0.4) 9,072 4.4 (1.0) 1.6 (0.4) 4.4 (1.0)

.......... 6,485 9.0 (1.7) 6.9 (1.5) 4,570 6.8 (1.6) 6.2 (1.6) 6.7 (1.6)

.......... 6,054 8.5 (2.5) 5.5 (2.0) 4,231 2.6 (0.8) 1.9 (0.7) 2.6 (0.8)

.......... 27,744 20.3 (1.1) 15.6 (1.0) 35,700 5.1 (0.7) 2.4 (0.5) 4.9 (0.7)

.......... 10,377 6.3 (0.9) 4.9 (0.9) 11,724 3.8 (0.6) 2.4 (0.4) 3.7 (0.6)

.......... 37,660 14.6 (1.1) 10.6 (0.9) 37,374 6.0 (0.7) 3.2 (0.5) 5.8 (0.7)

.......... 8,452 11.3 (1.4) 9.6 (1.3) 7,186 2.4 (0.5) 1.5 (0.5) 2.2 (0.5)

groups and persons with missing information on types of same-sex activity, not shown separately.

erview. GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.

estions on sexual behavior used in this report.

urvey of Family Growth, 2006–2008.
Page 28 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011

Table 11. Sexual attraction among women and men aged 18–44 years, by selected characteristics: United States, 2002 and 2006–2008

Sexual attraction

Only Mostly

Number in opposite opposite Equally Mostly Only Not

Characteristic thousands Total sex sex to both same sex same sex sure

2002 Percent distribution (standard error)

All women aged 18–44 years1

.................... 55,742 100.0 85.7 (0.6) 10.2 (0.5) 1.9 (0.2) 0.8 (0.1) 0.7 (0.1) 0.8 (0.1)

All men aged 18–44 years1 ..................... 55,399 100.0 92.2 (0.6) 3.9 (0.4) 1.0 (0.1) 0.7 (0.1) 1.5 (0.2) 0.7 (0.2)

2006–2008

All women aged 18–44 years1

.................... 56,032 100.0 83.3 (1.1) 11.9 (0.9) 2.8 (0.2) 0.6 (0.1) 0.8 (0.2) 0.7 (0.1)

Age:

18–19 years ............................ 4,598 100.0 82.4 (2.3) 9.4 (1.8) 4.8 (1.1) 0.9 (0.5) 1.3 (0.8) 1.2 (0.8)

20–24 years ............................ 10,140 100.0 77.6 (2.3) 16.7 (1.9) 3.7 (0.9) 0.8 (0.3) 0.8 (0.3) 0.4 (0.2)

25–29 years ............................ 10,250 100.0 81.4 (1.8) 12.9 (1.4) 3.8 (0.9) 0.5 (0.2) 1.1 (0.4) 0.4 (0.2)

30–34 years ............................ 9,587 100.0 81.4 (2.3) 13.0 (2.1) 2.8 (0.6) 0.7 (0.3) 0.9 (0.4) 1.2 (0.5)

35–44 years ............................ 21,457 100.0 87.9 (1.4) 9.1 (1.4) 1.4 (0.3) 0.4 (0.2) 0.5 (0.1) 0.6 (0.2)

Education2

:

No high school diploma or GED ................ 6,210 100.0 84.1 (1.8) 8.7 (1.4) 5.2 (1.3) * 0.5 (0.2) 1.4 (0.6)

High school diploma or GED .................. 11,793 100.0 85.4 (1.6) 9.6 (1.5) 2.8 (0.7) 0.4 (0.2) 1.2 (0.4) 0.6 (0.2)

Some college, no bachelor’s degree ............. 13,537 100.0 82.4 (1.6) 13.1 (1.5) 1.9 (0.4) 1.0 (0.4) 0.7 (0.2) 1.0 (0.4)

Bachelor’s degree or higher .................. 15,543 100.0 83.7 (1.8) 13.1 (1.5) 1.8 (0.5) 0.4 (0.2) 0.8 (0.3) *

Hispanic origin and race:

Hispanic or Latina ........................ 9,272 100.0 89.1 (1.1) 6.4 (0.9) 2.1 (0.6) 0.5 (0.2) 0.8 (0.3) 1.2 (0.4)

Not Hispanic or Latina:

White, single race ....................... 34,410 100.0 81.1 (1.4) 14.3 (1.2) 3.0 (0.4) 0.6 (0.2) 0.7 (0.2) 0.3 (0.1)

Black or African American, single race .......... 7,520 100.0 86.4 (1.7) 7.6 (1.2) 2.5 (0.7) 0.8 (0.5) 1.1 (0.4) 1.5 (0.6)

ACASI language3

:

English ............................... 51,754 100.0 82.4 (1.2) 12.5 (1.0) 2.9 (0.3) 0.6 (0.1) 0.9 (0.2) 0.7 (0.2)

Spanish............................... 4,118 100.0 94.8 (1.1) 3.3 (0.8) 1.4 (0.9) * * *

All men aged 18–44 years1 ..................... 55,556 100.0 93.5 (0.5) 3.7 (0.3) 0.5 (0.2) 0.7 (0.2) 1.2 (0.2) 0.4 (0.1)

Age:

18–19 years ............................ 4,134 100.0 91.7 (1.8) 5.7 (1.6) * 0.7 (0.4) 1.1 (0.5) 0.6 (0.3)

20–24 years ............................ 10,404 100.0 91.3 (1.7) 5.8 (1.2) 1.1 (0.6) 0.5 (0.3) 0.7 (0.3) 0.7 (0.5)

25–29 years ............................ 10,431 100.0 94.3 (0.9) 3.1 (0.7) 0.3 (0.1) 0.7 (0.4) 1.3 (0.5) 0.4 (0.2)

30–34 years ............................ 9,575 100.0 95.3 (0.9) 2.7 (0.6) * 0.5 (0.3) 0.8 (0.2) 0.4 (0.3)

35–44 years ............................ 21,013 100.0 93.6 (0.8) 3.1 (0.6) 0.4 (0.2) 0.9 (0.3) 1.7 (0.4) 0.2 (0.1)

Education2

:

No high school diploma or GED ................ 8,530 100.0 94.9 (1.0) 3.6 (0.8) * * 0.6 (0.3) 0.6 (0.3)

High school diploma or GED .................. 12,278 100.0 93.5 (1.3) 2.9 (0.7) 1.1 (0.6) 0.7 (0.4) 0.9 (0.3) 0.9 (0.5)

Some college, no bachelor’s degree ............. 13,521 100.0 95.0 (0.7) 3.0 (0.6) 0.5 (0.2) 0.4 (0.2) 1.0 (0.3) 0.2 (0.1)

Bachelor’s degree or higher .................. 13,112 100.0 91.8 (1.2) 4.0 (0.8) 0.4 (0.2) 1.4 (0.5) 2.4 (0.6) 0.1 (0.1)

Hispanic origin and race:

Hispanic or Latino ........................ 10,618 100.0 93.0 (0.8) 5.0 (0.7) 0.3 (0.1) 0.7 (0.3) 0.7 (0.2) 0.4 (0.2)

Not Hispanic or Latino:

White, single race ....................... 33,573 100.0 93.8 (0.6) 3.3 (0.4) 0.6 (0.2) 0.6 (0.2) 1.4 (0.3) 0.2 (0.1)

Black or African American, single race .......... 6,208 100.0 95.9 (1.0) 2.6 (0.8) * * 0.8 (0.3) 0.4 (0.2)

ACASI language3

:

English ............................... 51,263 100.0 93.5 (0.5) 3.5 (0.4) 0.5 (0.2) 0.7 (0.2) 1.3 (0.2) 0.4 (0.1)

Spanish............................... 4,277 100.0 93.3 (1.7) 6.3 (1.6) * * * *

* Figure does not meet standards of reliability or precision.
 1

Includes those of other or multiple race and origin groups and missing information on sexual attraction, not shown separately.
 

2

Limited to those aged 22–44 years of age at time of interview. GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.
 

3

ACASI is audio computer-assisted self interviewing.
 

NOTES: Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding. See Methods section for description of all questions used in this report.
 

SOURCES: Reference 9 and CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2008.
 
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011 Page 29

Table 12. Sexual identity among women aged 18–44 years, by selected characteristics: United States, 2002 and 2006–2008

Sexual identity

Homosexual,

Number in Heterosexual gay, or Something Did not

Characteristic thousands Total or straight lesbian Bisexual else1 report

2002 Percent distribution (standard error)

All women aged 18–44 years2

.................... 55,742 100.0 90.3 (0.4) 1.3 (0.2) 2.8 (0.2) 3.8 (0.3) 1.8 (0.2)

2006–2008

All women aged 18–44 years2.......... .......... 56,032 100.0 93.7 (0.5) 1.1 (0.2) 3.5 (0.3) 0.6 (0.1) 1.1 (0.2)

Age:

18–19 years ............................. 4,598 100.0 90.1 (1.5) 1.9 (0.9) 5.8 (1.2) * *

20–24 years ............................. 10,140 100.0 90.4 (1.6) 1.3 (0.4) 6.3 (1.1) 0.9 (0.3) 1.2 (0.8)

25–29 years ............................. 10,250 100.0 91.9 (1.2) 1.2 (0.4) 5.4 (1.0) 0.6 (0.2) 0.9 (0.3)

30–34 years ............................. 9,587 100.0 94.4 (0.9) 1.1 (0.5) 2.9 (0.6) 0.8 (0.3) 1.0 (0.4)

35–44 years ............................. 21,457 100.0 96.6 (0.5) 0.7 (0.2) 1.1 (0.2) 0.2 (0.1) 1.3 (0.3)

Marital or cohabiting status:

Currently married .......................... 26,983 100.0 96.1 (0.6) * 2.1 (0.4) 0.3 (0.1) 1.4 (0.4)

Currently cohabiting......................... 6,789 100.0 90.4 (1.4) * 6.2 (1.0) 1.7 (0.8) 1.3 (0.6)

Never married, not cohabiting................... 5,190 100.0 91.2 (1.1) 2.8 (0.6) 4.6 (0.7) 0.6 (0.2) 0.7 (0.2)

Formerly married, not cohabiting ................. 17,070 100.0 94.2 (1.0) 1.0 (0.4) 3.8 (0.8) 0.6 (0.3) 0.4 (0.2)

Education3

:

No high school diploma or GED ................. 6,210 100.0 90.0 (1.3) 0.4 (0.2) 5.3 (0.9) 1.0 (0.4) 3.2 (0.9)

High school diploma or GED ................... 11,793 100.0 94.4 (0.8) 1.4 (0.4) 3.1 (0.6) 0.4 (0.2) 0.7 (0.2)

Some college, no bachelor’s degree .............. 13,537 100.0 94.2 (0.8) 1.1 (0.3) 3.6 (0.6) 0.3 (0.2) 0.8 (0.3)

Bachelor’s degree or higher.................... 15,543 100.0 96.5 (0.6) 1.0 (0.3) 1.5 (0.3) 0.4 (0.2) 0.6 (0.2)

Hispanic origin and race:

Hispanic or Latina .......................... 9,272 100.0 92.1 (1.2) 0.9 (0.3) 2.2 (0.5) 0.7 (0.3) 4.1 (1.2)

Not Hispanic or Latina:

White, single race ........................ 34,410 100.0 94.2 (0.7) 0.9 (0.2) 4.1 (0.5) 0.5 (0.2) 0.4 (0.1)

Black or African American, single race ............ 7,520 100.0 93.3 (1.0) 1.6 (0.5) 3.0 (0.8) 1.5 (0.4) 0.7 (0.2)

ACASI language4

:

English. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51,754 100.0 94.1 (0.5) 1.1 (0.2) 3.7 (0.4) 0.6 (0.1) 0.6 (0.1)

Spanish ................................ 4,118 100.0 88.9 (2.6) * 1.1 (0.4) 1.3 (0.5) 7.9 (2.6)

* Figure does not meet standards of reliability or precision.
 1

This category was only offered in years 1 and 2 of the 2006–2008 data collection. See Methods section and Technical Notes for further details.
 2

Includes women of other or multiple race and origin groups and those missing on ACASI language, not shown separately.
 3

Limited to those aged 22–44 years at time of interview. GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.
 4

ACASI is audio computer-assisted self interviewing.
 

NOTES: Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding. ‘‘Did not report’’ includes ‘‘don’t know’’ and ‘‘refused’’ responses, as well as responses that were not ascertained due to interview

breakoffs before these ACASI questions.

SOURCES: Reference 9 and CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2008.
Page 30 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011

Table 13. Sexual identity among men aged 18–44 years, by selected characteristics: United States, 2002 and 2006–2008

Sexual identity

Number in Heterosexual Homosexual Something Did not

Characteristic thousands Total or straight or gay Bisexual else1 report

2002 Percent distribution (standard error)

All men aged 18–44 years2 ..................... 55,399 100.0 90.2 (0.7) 2.3 (0.4) 1.8 (0.3) 3.9 (0.5) 1.8 (0.3)

2006–2008

All men aged 18–44 years2 .......... .......... 55,556 100.0 95.7 (0.5) 1.7 (0.2) 1.1 (0.2) 0.2 (0.1) 1.3 (0.3)

Age:

18–19 years ............................. 4,134 100.0 96.6 (0.8) 1.6 (0.6) 1.1 (0.5) * 0.6 (0.2)

20–24 years ............................. 10,404 100.0 95.1 (1.4) 1.2 (0.4) 2.0 (0.9) 0.4 (0.2) 1.3 (0.9)

25–29 years ............................. 10,431 100.0 96.3 (0.8) 1.7 (0.6) 0.8 (0.3) 0.5 (0.2) 0.8 (0.4)

30–34 years ............................. 9,575 100.0 96.2 (0.9) 1.5 (0.5) 0.6 (0.3) * 1.8 (0.7)

35–44 years ............................. 21,013 100.0 95.2 (0.7) 2.1 (0.4) 1.0 (0.3) 0.2 (0.1) 1.5 (0.4)

Marital or cohabiting status:

Curently married ........................... 24,763 100.0 97.7 (0.5) * 0.4 (0.2) * 1.8 (0.5)

Currently cohabiting......................... 7,292 100.0 98.1 (0.6) * 0.5 (0.2) * 1.0 (0.5)

Never married, not cohabiting................... 3,123 100.0 92.2 (0.9) 4.4 (0.5) 2.1 (0.5) 0.4 (0.1) 1.0 (0.5)

Formerly married, not cohabiting ................. 20,379 100.0 96.9 (1.2) 1.3 (0.8) 1.5 (0.7) * 0.0 (0.0)

Education3

:

No high school diploma or GED ................. 8,530 100.0 93.7 (1.4) 1.3 (0.4) 0.8 (0.3) * 3.9 (1.4)

High school diploma or GED ................... 12,278 100.0 95.2 (1.0) 1.2 (0.3) 1.8 (0.8) 0.4 (0.2) 1.5 (0.5)

Some college, no bachelor’s degree .............. 13,521 100.0 96.8 (0.6) 1.3 (0.3) 1.1 (0.3) 0.2 (0.1) 0.6 (0.3)

Bachelor’s degree or higher.................... 13,112 100.0 95.2 (0.9) 3.1 (0.6) 0.9 (0.4) * 0.7 (0.4)

Hispanic origin and race:

Hispanic or Latino .......................... 10,618 100.0 93.4 (0.8) 1.2 (0.3) 0.9 (0.3) 0.6 (0.3) 3.9 (0.9)

Not Hispanic or Latino:

White, single race ........................ 33,573 100.0 96.6 (0.5) 1.8 (0.3) 1.1 (0.3) 0.1 (0.1) 0.4 (0.1)

Black or African American, single race ............ 6,208 100.0 97.8 (0.5) 1.2 (0.4) * * 0.4 (0.2)

ACASI language4

:

English. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51,263 100.0 96.2 (0.4) 1.8 (0.2) 1.1 (0.2) 0.2 (0.1) 0.7 (0.2)

Spanish ................................ 4,277 100.0 89.3 (2.0) 0.7 (0.3) 1.1 (0.7) * 8.5 (2.3)

* Figure does not meet standards of reliability or precision.
 

0.0 Quantity greater than zero but less than 0.05.
 1

This category was only offered in years 1 and 2 of the 2006–2008 data collection. See Methods section and Technical Notes for further details.
 2

Includes men of other or multiple race and origin groups and those missing on ACASI language, not shown separately.
 3

Limited to those aged 22–44 years at time of interview. GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.
 4

ACASI is audio computer-assisted self interviewing.
 

NOTES: Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding. ‘‘Did not report’’ includes ‘‘don’t know’’ and ‘‘refused’’ responses, as well as responses that were not ascertained due to interview

breakoffs before these ACASI questions.

SOURCES: Reference 9 and CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2008.
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011 Page 31

Table 14. Sexual attraction, sexual identity, and selected sexual behavior indicators among women and men aged 18–44 years:

United States, 2006–2008

Any vaginal Any oral Any anal

Any opposite- intercourse with sex with sex with Any sameNumber in sex sexual opposite-sex opposite-sex opposite-sex sex sexual

Characteristic thousands contact1 partner partner partner contact1

Percent (standard error)

All women aged 18–44 years2

.................... 56,032 94.1 (1.3) 92.4 (1.3) 85.3 (1.4) 33.2 (1.5) 12.7 (0.8)

Sexual attraction:

Only to opposite sex ....................... 46,144 94.0 (1.5) 92.2 (1.5) 84.7 (1.6) 29.6 (1.6) 4.6 (0.6)

Mostly to opposite sex...................... 6,567 97.6 (0.5) 96.0 (0.8) 94.1 (1.3) 54.8 (2.7) 47.4 (2.9)

All other3 .............................. 2,857 89.2 (2.6) 87.6 (2.8) 75.3 (3.4) 40.9 (3.3) 65.8 (3.6)

Sexual identity:

Heterosexual ........................... 52,070 94.3 (1.4) 92.6 (1.4) 85.7 (1.4) 32.7 (1.5) 9.0 (0.7)

Homosexual or bisexual..................... 2,536 91.6 (2.2) 89.2 (2.5) 86.0 (2.6) 47.5 (3.5) 84.5 (2.8)

All men aged 18–44 years2 ..................... 55,556 93.8 (0.9) 92.0 (1.0) 86.9 (1.0) 39.3 (1.5) 5.6 (0.5)

Sexual attraction:

Only to opposite sex ....................... 51,362 94.9 (0.9) 93.3 (1.0) 88.3 (1.0) 40.0 (1.6) 2.8 (0.5)

Mostly to opposite sex...................... 2,056 88.0 (3.2) 84.1 (3.6) 77.6 (4.4) 41.5 (5.4) 20.6 (3.0)

All other3 .............................. 1,863 69.4 (4.1) 64.6 (4.4) 55.8 (1.1) 15.5 (4.3) 73.5 (3.3)

Sexual identity:

Heterosexual ........................... 52,886 94.5 (0.9) 92.8 (1.1) 87.9 (1.1) 40.0 (1.6) 3.2 (0.5)

Homosexual or bisexual..................... 1,543 69.8 (4.6) 64.7 (4.7) 64.8 (4.7) 24.0 (4.9) 88.4 (2.9)

1

Any sexual contact with opposite-sex partners includes vaginal, oral, or anal sex. Any sexual contact with same-sex (female) partners includes oral sex or any sexual experience. For males, it
 

includes oral or anal sex with male partners. See Methods section for description of all questions on sexual behavior used in this report.
 2

Includes those with missing information on sexual attraction, sexual identity, or sexual contact with opposite-sex or same-sex partners.
 3

Includes those responding ‘‘equally attracted to both sexes,’’ ‘‘mostly to same sex,’’ and ‘‘only to same sex.’’
 

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2008.
 

Table 15. Sexual identity and sexual attraction among women and men aged 18–44 years: United States, 2006–2008

Sexual identity

Number in Heterosexual Homosexual Something Did not

Characteristic thousands Total or straight or gay Bisexual else1 report

2002 Percent distribution (standard error)

All women aged 18–44 years .................... 56,032 100.0 93.7 (0.5) 1.1 (0.2) 3.5 (0.3) 0.6 (0.1) 1.1 (0.2)

Sexual attraction:

Only to opposite sex ....................... 46,144 100.0 98.8 (0.3) * 0.11 (0.4) 0.2 (0.6) 0.79 (0.2)

Mostly to opposite sex...................... 6,567 100.0 86.8 (1.8) 0.0 10.5 (1.4) 2.1 (0.8) 0.5 (0.3)

All other2 .............................. 2,857 100.0 27.2 (3.8) 19.7 (2.6) 42.1 (3.5) 3.4 (1.4) 7.5 (2.0)

All men aged 18–44 years ...................... 55,556 100.0 95.7 (0.5) 1.7 (0.2) 1.1 (0.2) 0.2 (0.1) 1.3 (0.3)

Sexual attraction:

Only to opposite sex ....................... 51,362 100.0 98.9 (0.3) 0.1 (0.1) 0.1 (0.1) 0.1 (0.1) 0.8 (0.2)

Mostly to opposite sex...................... 2,056 100.0 90.0 (2.1) * 6.9 (1.8) * *

All other2 .............................. 1,863 100.0 13.2 (3.2) 47.5 (4.5) 20.8 (4.6) 2.7 (1.3) 15.9 (3.7)

* Figure does not meet standards of reliability or precision.
 

0.0 Quantity more than zero but less than 0.05.
 1

This category was only offered in years 1 and 2 of the 2006–2008 data collection. See Methods section and Technical Notes for further details.
 2

Includes those responding ‘‘equally attracted to both sexes,’’ ‘‘mostly to same sex,’’ and ‘‘only to same sex.’’
 

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2008.
 
Page 32 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011

Table 16. Comparison of selected National Survey of Family Growth measures of sexual behavior and sexual identity with selected other

nationally representative surveys

NHANES, 1999–2002,

NSFG, NSFG, 2001–2006, NSSHB, GSS, 2004

2006–2008 2002 and 2007–2008 2009 and 2008

Age range of respondents for reported statistics

1999–2002: 20–59 years

18–44 18–44 2001–2006: 18–59 years 14–94 18 years

Characteristic years years 2007–2008: 20–44 years years and over

Females

Sex with opposite-sex partners:

Median number of male partners in lifetime ............ 3.2 3.3 3.7 . . . . . .

Percent with two or more male partners in last 12 months1 . . . 13.0 14.7 10.0 . . . 8.0

Sex with same-sex partners:

Ever had same-sex sexual contact2 ................. 12.5 11.2 7.1 . . . 4.3

Sexual identity3

:

Homosexual ............................... 1.1 1.3 1.5 0.9 1.8

Bisexual .................................. 3.5 2.8 4.9 3.6 1.5

Something else .............................. 0.6 3.8 0.8 2.3 . . .

Males

Sex with opposite-sex partners:

Median number of female partners in lifetime ........... 5.1 5.6 6.8 . . . . . .

Percent with two or more male partners in last 12 months1 . . . 18.5 18.9 16.7 . . . 16.7

Sex with same-sex partners:

Ever had same-sex sexual contact2 ................. 5.2 6.0 5.2 . . . 5.1

Sexual identity3

:

Homosexual ............................... 1.7 2.3 2.0 4.2 1.5

Bisexual .................................. 1.1 1.8 1.3 2.6 0.7

Something else .............................. 0.2 3.9 0.3 1.0 . . .

. . . Data not available.
 1

GSS contains questions that allow the respondent to specify whether sex partners in the last 12 months were exclusively male or female, or both. However, the sex of the partners in the last 12
 

months was not specified in the report used for this comparative table.
 2

GSS asks about any same-sex partners since age 18.
 3

Sexual identity estimates from NHANES were run using public-use data from 2007–2008.
 

NOTE: NSFG is National Survey of Family Growth; NHANES is National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys; NSSHB is National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior; GSS is
 

General Social Survey. See Methods section for description of all NSFG questions on sexual behavior used in this report.
 

SOURCES: CDC/NCHS, NSFG 2006–2008; CDC/NCHS, NSFG 2002; NHANES references 63–66; NSSHB reference 20; and GSS references 67 and 68.
 
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011	 Page 33

Technical Notes: The

National Survey of

Family Growth’s

Measurement of Sexual

Identity

Basic information on NSFG’s

measurement of sexual identity was

provided in the Methods section. Below,

further detail is provided on the changes

made to the sexual identity question

since the 2002 NSFG and the effects

these changes have had on the results.

In 2002 and 2006–2008 of NSFG, the

question on sexual identity directly

followed the sexual attraction question

in ACASI, and both of these items

followed all ACASI questions on sexual

behavior with opposite-sex and samesex partners. In 2002, the sexual identity

question was worded as follows, for

both males and females:

Do you think of yourself as. . .

+ Heterosexual

+ Homosexual

+ Bisexual

+ Something else

As shown in Tables 12 and 13 of

the report based on 2002 NSFG data

(8), 3.8% of females aged 18–44 and

3.9% of males aged 18–44 reported

‘‘something else.’’ For some population

groups, such as Hispanic and nonHispanic black persons, the percentages

reporting ‘‘something else’’ were higher

than the percentages reporting

‘‘homosexual’’ or ‘‘bisexual.’’ To

understand and potentially reduce the

percentages reporting ‘‘something else,’’

two changes were made to the sexual

identity question at the start of

interviewing for the 2006–2008 NSFG:

1.	 More commonly known terms for

sexual identity were added to the

response categories. Instead of

‘‘heterosexual,’’ the response was

changed to ‘‘heterosexual or

straight’’ for both men and women.

Instead of ‘‘homosexual,’’ men were

offered ‘‘homosexual or gay,’’ and

women were offered ‘‘homosexual,

gay, or lesbian.’’

2.	 Those who reported ‘‘something

else’’ were asked a follow-up

question:

When you say ‘‘something else,’’

what do you mean? Please type in

your answer.

The verbatim text they typed in was

reviewed by NSFG staff and coded,

where possible and unambiguous,

into the preexisting categories.

Based on analyses with the

2006–2008 NSFG data, the first change

had by far the larger impact on

reporting of ‘‘something else.’’ Table I

shows that even before the verbatim

responses were examined for

‘‘something else’’ responses, the

unweighted numbers and the weighted

percentages reporting ‘‘something else’’

were significantly smaller than those

found with the 2002 NSFG. In 2002,

there were 294 women aged 18–44 and

175 men aged 18–44 who responded

‘‘something else,’’ and as was noted

Table I. Sexual identity reported as ‘‘something else’’ among women and men aged 18–44 years: United States, 2002 and 2006–2008

Women	 Men

Unweighted Change from Weighted Unweighted Change from Weighted

NSFG sexual identity variable number original reporting percentage number original reporting percentage

2002 NSFG sexual identity variable

Original reports of ‘‘something else’’1 ....................... 294 ... 3.8 175 ... 3.9

2006–2008 NSFG sexual identity variable

Original reports of ‘‘something else’’ ....................... 87 ... 1.0 39 ... 0.7 
 

Remaining ‘‘something else’’ after coding of verbatim responses2 ..... 50 . . . 0.6 19 . . . 0.2

Original sexual identity variable (before back-coding):
 

Heterosexual or straight ............................. 6,023 ... 92.8 4,997 ... 95.0 
 

Homosexual, gay (or lesbian) .......................... 93 ... 1.0 132 ... 1.6 
 

Bisexual ....................................... 274 ... 3.5 69 ... 1.1 
 

Something else. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 ... 1.0 39 ... 0.6 
 

Not ascertained .................................. 28 ... 0.8 27 ... 0.5 
 

Refused ....................................... 44 ... 0.6 47 ... 1.0 
 

Don’t know ..................................... 20 ... 0.4 12 ... 0.3 
 

Sexual identity variable after back-coding:
 

Heterosexual or straight ............................. 6,043 20 92.9 5,007 +10 95.2 
 

Homosexual, gay (or lesbian) .......................... 97 4 1.1 138 +6 1.7 
 

Bisexual ....................................... 274 0 3.5 69 0 1.1 
 

Something else. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 -37 0.6 19 -20 0.2 
 

Not ascertained .................................. 28 0 0.8 27 0 0.5 
 

Refused ....................................... 44 0 0.6 47 0 1.0 
 

Don’t know ..................................... 33 13 0.5 16 +4 0.3 
 

. . . Category not applicable. 1

No follow-up question was included for ‘‘something else’’ responses in the 2002 NSFG. 2

The difference between the original reports and those remaining ‘‘something else’’ consisted of 37 women aged 18–44 and 20 men aged 18–44 who gave information in their verbatim responses
 

that could be used to classify them in one of the preexisting response categories (i.e., back-coding).
 

NOTE: NSFG is National Survey of Family Growth.
 

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2002 and 2006–2008.
 
Page 34 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011

earlier, these unweighted numbers

represented nearly 4% (weighted) of

men and women aged 18–44 in 2002.

Meanwhile, in the 2006–2008 NSFG,

many fewer men and women aged

18–44 originally reported ‘‘something

else’’—87 women and 39 men, yielding

weighted percentages of 1.0% of women

and 0.7% of women aged 18–44. After

the verbatim responses were examined

from the follow-up question, 37 of 87

women and 20 of 39 men provided

information that could readily classify

them into one of the provided categories

(that is, the responses were able to be

back-coded). This back-coding was done

conservatively, only editing responses

that used words expressly contained in

the provided response categories such as

‘‘straight’’ or ‘‘gay,’’ or responses that

directly stated the respondent’s sexual

preference such as men saying ‘‘I only

like women’’ and women saying ‘‘I only

like men.’’ Among the 50 women and

19 men whose verbatim responses

yielded no codable information, a few

had entered only blank spaces,

presumably to get past the question, and

the remainder gave ambiguous or

unrelated comments that could not be

used to code sexual identity. Table I also

shows the full distribution of sexual

identity before and after the back-coding

of 37 women and 20 men; no significant

change was seen in any of the

categories shown.

To describe the net effects of both

of these question changes on the

reporting of sexual identity, Table II

shows the percentages reporting

‘‘something else’’ in the 2002 and

2006–2008 NSFG. Also shown are

percentages that ‘‘did not report’’ sexual

identity, a category which consists of

those who responded ‘‘don’t know’’ or

‘‘refused’’ and those who terminated

their ACASI interviews before the

sexual identity question. Given the

differentials seen in the percentages

reporting ‘‘something else’’ by Hispanic

origin and race in 2002 and 2006–2008,

the percentages are also shown by

educational attainment and ACASI

language. While no significant

difference was seen in the ‘‘did not

report’’ percentages between 2002 and

2006–2008, Table II documents that the

overall reduction in ‘‘something else’’

reporting for all men and women aged

18–44 was mirrored in every subgroup

Table II. Percentage of women and men aged 18–44 years who reported ‘‘something else’’ as their sexual identity or did not report

sexual identity, by selected characteristics: United States, 2002 and 2006–2008

Sexual identity reporting

2002 2006–2008

Number in Something Did not Number in Something Did not

Characteristic thousands else report thousands else report

Percent Percent

All women aged 18–44 years1

.................... 55,742 3.8 1.8 56,032 0.6 1.1

Hispanic origin and race:

Hispanic or Latina ........................ 8,194 6.1 4.1 9,272 0.7 4.1

Not Hispanic or Latina:

White, single race ....................... 35,936 2.3 1.2 34,410 0.5 0.4

Black or African American, single race .......... 7,399 6.5 2.0 7,520 1.5 0.7

Education2

:

No high school diploma or GED ................ 5,617 10.2 4.9 6,210 1.0 3.2

High school diploma or GED .................. 14,247 5.4 3.0 11,793 0.4 0.7

Some college, no bachelor’s degree ............. 14,279 1.9 0.6 13,537 0.3 0.8

Bachelor’s degree or higher .................. 13,526 0.6 0.9 15,543 0.4 0.6

ACASI language3

:

English ............................... 52,216 3.6 1.5 51,754 0.6 0.6

Spanish............................... 3,468 5.9 6.7 4,118 1.3 7.9

All men aged 18–44 years1 ..................... 55,399 3.9 1.8 55,556 0.2 1.3

Hispanic origin and race:

Hispanic or Latino ........................ 9,336 7.3 3.5 10,618 0.6 3.9

Not Hispanic or Latino:

White, single race ....................... 35,154 2.3 0.7 33,573 0.1 0.4

Black or African American, single race .......... 6,127 7.5 3.2 6,208 * 0.4

Education2

:

No high school diploma or GED ................ 6,355 9.5 3.2 8,530 * 3.9

High school diploma or GED .................. 15,659 6.3 2.4 12,278 * 1.5

Some college, no bachelor’s degree ............. 13,104 1.3 0.4 13,521 0.2 0.6

Bachelor’s degree or higher .................. 11,901 1.3 * 13,112 * 0.7

ACASI language3

:

English ............................... 51,301 3.6 1.8 51,263 0.2 0.7

Spanish............................... 4,098 8.1 3.9 4,277 * 8.5

* Figure does not meet standards of reliability or precision.
 1

Total includes those for whom ACASI language was not ascertained.
 2

Limited to those aged 22–44 at the time of interview. GED is General Educational Development high school equivalency diploma.
 3

ACASI is audio computer-assisted self interviewing.
 

NOTES: The ‘‘something else’’ category was only offered in years 1 and 2 of the 2006–2008 data collection (June 2006–June 2008). See Methods and Technical Notes sections for further details.

‘‘Did not report’’ includes ‘‘don’t know’’ and ‘‘refused’’ responses, as well as responses that were not ascertained due to interview breakoffs before these ACASI questions.

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2002 and 2006–2008.
National Health Statistics Reports

n Number 36n March 3, 2011 Page 35

shown. For Hispanic origin and race, the

2002 data had shown significantly

higher levels of ‘‘something else’’ for

Hispanic and non-Hispanic black men

and women, relative to non-Hispanic

white women and men. Those

differentials were no longer seen in

2006–2008 for reports of ‘‘something

else,’’ but instead Hispanic women

(4.1%) and men (3.9%) were more

likely not to report sexual identity than

the other race and origin groups.

To address concerns that language

barriers or educational attainment may

impact reporting of ‘‘something else’’ on

sexual identity or increase the chances

of nonresponse, Table II shows these

percentages by educational attainment

and the language in which ACASI was

conducted. In most education groups

shown, the levels of both ‘‘something

else’’ and ‘‘did not report’’ fell in

2006–2008 for both women and men

aged 22–44. Women (3.2%) and men

(3.9%) with less thana high school

education continued to show higher

percentages not reporting sexual identity

than those in other education groups. In

both 2002 and 2006–2008, those

completing ACASI in Spanish were

significantly more likely not to report

sexual identity. For example, nearly 8%

of women aged 18–44 in 2006–2008

who completed ACASI in Spanish did

not report sexual identity compared with

0.6% of women who completed it in

English. For percentages reporting

‘‘something else’’ on sexual identity, the

differentials by ACASI language were

more striking in 2002 (for example,

8.1% of men completing it in Spanish

compared with 3.6% of men completing

it in English) than in 2006–2008, but

given the significant reduction overall in

the numbers and percentages responding

‘‘something else’’ in 2006–2008, the

ACASI language variable no longer

showsa significant association.

In summary, the changes made to

the sexual identity question between the

2002 NSFG and the 2006–2008 NSFG

appear to have hada significant impact

on the percentages reporting ‘‘something

else’’ as well as on the percentages who

‘‘did not report’’ sexual identity. The

majority of reduction in ‘‘something

else’’ reporting since the 2002 NSFG is

attributable to the addition of several

commonly known terms to the

heterosexual and homosexual response

categories for the 2006–2008 NSFG.

While some back-coding was done

based on the ‘‘something else’’ followup question’s verbatim responses, this

affecteda fairly small fraction of cases

in the overall 2006–2008 NSFG sample

because less than 1% of men and

women aged 18–44 originally reported

‘‘something else,’’ and did not

significantly alter the overall distribution

by sexual identity. Asa result of the

significantly reduced levels of

‘‘something else’’ reporting in 2006–

2008 and the survey costs associated

with the follow-up question, the

‘‘something else’’ response option and

follow-up question were deleted

beginning in July 2008, year3 of the

2006–2010 NSFG.
Page 36 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 36 n March 3, 2011

Acknowledgments

The 2006–2008 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National

Center for Health Statistics, with the support and assistance of a number of other organizations and individuals. Interviewing and other tasks

were carried out by the University of Michigan’s Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, under a contract with NCHS. The

2006–2008 NSFG was jointly planned and funded by the following programs and agencies of the U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services:

• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development • Office of Population Affairs

• National Center for Health Statistics (CDC)

• Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention (CDC)

• Division of Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention (CDC)

• Division of Reproductive Health (CDC)

• Children’s Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families • Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation

NCHS gratefully acknowledges the contributions of these programs and agencies, and all others who assisted in designing and carrying out the

2006–2008 NSFG.

This report was prepared under the general direction of Charles J. Rothwell, Director of NCHS’s Division of Vital Statistics (DVS), and

Stephanie J. Ventura, Chief of the Reproductive Statistics Branch of DVS. The authors are grateful for the valuable comments provided by

Stephanie Ventura; Julia Holmes, DVS Associate Director for Science; and Jennifer Madans, NCHS Associate Director for Science. We also

thank Yashodhara Patel, Jo Jones, and Veena Billioux for their helpful contributions to the preparation of this report.

The report was edited and produced by CDC/OSELS/NCHS/OD/Office of Information Services, Information Design and Publishing Staff:

Barbara J. Wassell edited the report; typesetting was done by Annette F. Holman; and graphics were produced by Michael W. Jones

(contractor).

Suggested citation

Chandra A, Mosher WD, Copen C, Sionean C.

Sexual behavior, sexual attraction, and sexual

identity in the United States: Data from the

2006–2008 National Survey of Family Growth.

National health statistics reports; no 36.

Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health

Statistics. 2011.

Copyright information

All material appearing in this report is in the

public domain and may be reproduced or

copied without permission; citation as to

source, however, is appreciated.

National Center for Health Statistics

Edward J. Sondik, Ph.D., Director
 

Jennifer H. Madans, Ph.D., Associate Director
 

for Science
 

Division of Vital Statistics

Charles J. Rothwell, M.S., Director

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Center for Health Statistics

3311 Toledo Road

Hyattsville, MD 20782

FIRST CLASS
 

POSTAGE & FEES PAID
 

CDC/NCHS
 

PERMIT NO. G-284
 

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE, $300

To receive this publication regularly, contact

the National Center for Health Statistics by

calling 1–800–232–4636

E-mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov

Internet: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs

DHHS Publication No. (PHS) 2011–1250

CS220248

T38808 (03/2011)