SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR IN BRITAIN

The field of human sexuality has been neglected in social research. In the 1950s, the Kinsey Institute pioneered the first surveys of American sexuality, but nothing comparable has since been attempted on either side of the Atlantic, until work began on this survey in the 1980s. The largest survey ever attempted and the first to use a national probability sample, this book provides comprehensive information on the sexual attitudes and lifestyles of the British population. Its conclusions are based on statistical analysis of the responses given by 20,000 Britons randomly selected to represent the views of the whole population. Separate chapters examine the age of earliest sexual experiences - and the differences between men and women, numbers of partners, frequency of intercourse, sexual orientation, alternatives to intercourse, moral convictions and awareness of risk reduction practices. General figures are broken down by age (providing evidence of changing mores), by ethnic and religious background, by geographical region and by social class.

This book should be a source of reference for anyone studying fertility, family life, contraception, sex education or control of disease, or anyone interested in sexual practices.