Majority of Malaysian youth say no to pre-marital sex

KUALA LUMPUR - Parents can now take a breather, as nearly half of the Malaysian youth are in no hurry to have sex and are ready to wait until marriage.

The online survey “Let’s Talk Sex” with YouthSays and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar) questioned 2,795 young people aged 15 to 25 throughout the country.

About 46.5 percent said that they would only have sex when they were married and 26.2 percent said they would only “do it” when they felt ready.

Another 6.7 percent said they would only have sex when they were at least 18 years old.

It was aimed at probing what the perception on sex is among young people, following the recent public frenzy on pre-marital sex, teen pregnancies and baby dumping cases.

A social science final year student from a public university said that many of her college mates were mature enough to deal with sex.

“There are some who don’t think twice about having premarital sex but there are many who are saving themselves for marriage. Many say that they know how to be responsible when it comes to sex,” the Star Online quoted her as saying.

This comes as no surprise for Chin Yee Mun of Utar’s Creative Industries Faculty.

Relating his experience discussing the issue with his students, he said their views were determined by what questions were thrown at them.

“For example, when I asked them whether we should punish those who dump their babies severely, the majority agreed. But when I asked whether the authorities should implement certain measures to control premarital sex, many disagreed.”

Still, parents may be relieved by another finding from the survey: when it comes to sexual experience, 32pc claimed they have not had any.

About 33.5 percent said they have tried kissing and hugging; 12 percent said they have tried heavy petting while 11.8 percent said they have tried oral sex and 10.9 percent said they have had full intercourse.

The survey indicates that college-going age seemed to be the common age for most young people’s first time. Some 33 percent said they first had sex at the legal consenting age of 16 years old.

While a majority (73.5 percent) said they used birth control for their first time, some 64.2 percent admitted that they have had sex without protection or any form of birth control before.

Less than one percent said that they should hide their pregnancy and get rid of the baby when it was born. (ANI)