Most Teens Want to be Virgins at Marriage

Half of the over 5,000 teens surveyed concluded that sex before marriage was "never" morally acceptable; over 70 percent rejected the practice of "living together" before marriage; and 61 percent confessed they would like to be a virgin on their wedding day.



-- From "Study Reveals That Teens Desire Abstinence Until Marriage" by Dave Bohon, The New American 2/14/11

A new study from a youth research organization finds that even amidst a culture in which an aggressive media encourages teens to become sexually active, a solid majority still want to embrace traditional values regarding sex. According to the latest research by OneHope, a Christian youth outreach that provides research to non-profit organizations, 61 percent of American teens want to remain abstinent until marriage, with an additional 63 percent saying that while they have already been sexually active, they would like to return to a place of sexual purity.

[The study found:]

• 82 percent of teens said they believe God intended marriage to last a lifetime.

• 64 percent said religion is somewhat or very important to them.

• 80 percent said parents had at least some influence over their thoughts and actions (followed by teachers and friends).

On a more alarming note, the survey found that:

• 69 percent of the teens surveyed said they regularly watch MTV (sponsors of such fare as the overtly sexualized weekly teen drama Skins).

• 65 percent said they believe that truth is relative.

• 52 percent said they believe spiritual development is not necessary for a satisfying life.

• 50 percent said they considered an unmarried man and woman a family.

• 34 percent said they spend less than 15 minutes a week talking with their fathers about things that matter to them.

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From "American teens: We want our virginity back" by Drew Zahn © 2011 WorldNetDaily 2/14/11

The verified online survey of teens aged 13-18 was conducted by the international Christian children's ministry OneHope and strictly randomized to include a proportioned mix of students from different races, parts of the country and urban vs. rural residence.

Chad Causey, OneHope's vice president of global ministries explained the survey's questions about sexuality were merely part of a broader attempt to understand how teens think.

"What was striking to us was, while we celebrated the 61 percent who said that they wanted to be a virgin when they were married, it became quickly apparent that that belief was loosely held," Causey told CBN News. "Even among the students who saw ... virginity is something to be saved for marriage, many of them, 77 percent, believe there's nothing wrong with passionate kissing; a third of them, 34 percent, believed it was OK to have sex before marriage; in other words, their belief about virginity or about preserving intimacy for marriage was a very private belief. They didn't see it as something that was right, they saw it as something that was right for them, and that came through more and more frequently in the research."

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