Religiosity, sexual intercourse and condom use among university students

There is strong evidence that religiosity among adolescents is associated with delayed onset of sexual activity. However, research on relationships between religiosity and contraceptive practices is limited and inconsistent. This paper provides data from a survey of 374 students aged between 16 and 21 at two Brisbane universities (72.4 per cent response rate). Those who perceived religion to be important in their lives were less likely to have had intercourse. Among the sexually active sample, religious youth did not differ from their peers in recent condom use, the age at which they first used condoms or the rate of partner change. Contrary to several recent assertions in review articles, this and other empirical studies do not show that religious youth are less likely than nonreligious youth to take precautions during sex.