Dutch young people positive about sex and sexual diversity, using contraception less

Young people in the Netherlands are happy with their sex life and increasingly positive about sexual diversity, Rutgers and Soa Aids Nederland found in their “Sex under 25” study. On the downside, the use of contraception is decreasing, girls are much less likely to experience sexual pleasure, and more young people face unwanted sexual contact.

Young people aged 13 to 25 score their sex life an average of 7 out of 10. About 80 percent of young people enjoy sex very much, and around 90 percent enjoyed their last sexual encounter. Acceptance of sexual diversity is increasing. In 2012, 52 percent of boys and 26 percent of girls disapproved of two boys kissing on the street. Last year, that decreased to 25 percent of boys and 9 percent of girls.

Dutch young people are starting to have sex later in life. Half of young people have had their first vaginal sex by the age of 18.7, compared to 18 years in 2027 and 17 years in 2012. First, masturbation occurs around 14.5 years, the same as in previous years.

Young people are using contraception less, though the use is still high at around 80 percent. Pill use decreased from 76 percent in 2012 to 46 percent in 2013, though more girls are using an IUD (6 percent in 2012 and 21 percent in 2023). Condom use also decreased - in 2017, almost three-quarters used a condom during their first vaginal sex. That dropped to two-thirds last year.

“The number of young people who indicate that they have experienced sexual misconduct has increased,” the researchers said. Last year, 4 percent of boys and 20 percent of girls said that they’ve been forced to perform sexual acts that they did not want to, compared to 2 and 12 percent in 2017. Over half of girls, 54 percent, have faced physical sexual violations ranging from unwanted touching to rape. The same is true for 23 percent of boys. In 2017, that was still 48 and 18 percent, respectively.

At the same time, 94 percent of young people said that they are always sure their partner also wants sex. That indicates that young people don’t always correctly judge consent.

The researchers called it worrying that girls experience significantly less sexual pleasure than boys. Only 28 percent of girls described their first experience with vaginal sex as “nice,” compared to 64 percent of boys. That may be due to pain during the first vaginal sex - 75 percent of girls reported experiencing pain the first time. But in later sexual experiences, girls (75 percent) are still less likely to really enjoy sex than boys (85 percent). Eighty-five percent of boys usually or always orgasm, compared to 49 percent of girls.

For this study, Rutgers and Soa Aids Nederland, in collaboration with the RIVM, Statistics Netherlands, and GGD health services, questioned over 10,000 young people aged 13 to 25 about their sex lives. “The results are representative of the Dutch population of young people,” the researchers said.