As part of Durex's 2009 Great British Sex Survey, HCPs working in the field of sexual health and family planning were offered the opportunity to put pertinent questions to the public about their sexual lifestyle and practices. With over 11,000 survey respondents, their answers are set to raise a few eyebrows.

Over a period of five weeks, Durex will be revealing the results of the survey and will be looking at the implications for practice. Following on from this, all registered members of DurexHCP will also get the opportunity to look at the results for their region.

HCPs often encourage clients to plan ahead when it comes to broaching the subject of condoms. That said, when people actually choose to raise this subject with their partner remains another question entirely...

When having sex for the first time with a new partner, when should the subject of condoms be raised?

From over 11,000 respondents, when asked about when the subject should be broached:

• 30% believe condoms should be mentioned early on

• 19% say sometime before penetration

• 15% say during foreplay

• 11% say when being asked to go back for sex

• 8% say when 'his trousers come off'

• 3% say during flirting

• 3% say when 'her top comes off'

• 2% do not bother

• 2% do not think about condoms until it's too late

More women than men claim that they discuss condoms early on and that they wouldn't have sex without one. More men than women claim they would raise the subject of condoms before penetration.

Gender comparison of when the subject of condoms arises

Of those who do not mention the subject of condoms:

• More men do not bother with condoms

• More men do not think about condoms until it is too late

Age comparison of respondants who claim not to have sex without a condom

As nearly a third of respondents said that they would not have sex without a condom, it is reassuring to see that this is consistent across the age groups, although this does drop slightly for respondents between the ages 19 and 20 - maybe to coincide with the social drinking aspect of college and university.

Regional comparison of respondants who don't bother with condoms

Of those who do not bother using condoms, there are slight regional differences:

• More respondents in the Midlands do not bother with condoms

• Northern Ireland has fewer people reporting that they do not bother with condoms

It is encouraging that a third of respondents claim they would not have sex without a condom. That said, HCPs know that accidents happen, which explains why HCPs were keen to ask people about their motivations for not using condoms...

If you've had sex in the last three years without a condom, why didn't you use one?

While 11% of survey respondents remain adamant that they use condoms all the time, the diverse reasons why others chose not to makes for very interesting reading. They broadly fall into two categories.

Medical reasons for not using condoms included:

• 19% were using the pill

• 4% were using the contraceptive injection

• 1% had had a vasectomy

• 3% were trying for a baby

More questionable reasons for people not using condoms include:

• 8% got carried away

• 5% used the withdrawal technique

• 5% were under the influence of drink or drugs

• 5% trusted their partner

• 4% did not have a condom with them

• 2% said it was a one night stand

• 1% refused to wear one

• 1% said they were not asked about it

• 1% relied on the morning after pill

• <1% were not confident in putting a condom on

• <1% were relying on antibiotics to treat a chlamydia infection

Not surprisingly, more teenagers said that they were not confident in putting a condom on or did not have one to hand when they needed one. More teenagers relied on the withdrawal technique than older adults and younger people were more likely not to use condoms when under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

When it comes to sexuality:

• 10% of gay men would not use condoms when drunk or under the influence of drugs compared to 6% of bisexual and 5% of straight people

• 14% of gay people did not use a condom as a result of getting 'carried away' as opposed to 10% of bisexual people and 8% of straight people

Reasons for not using a condom - comparison by sexuality

To summarise, 11% of our respondents consider condom use important to them. For those who haven't used condoms in the last three years, the diversity of answers reveals how a person's personal circumstances influence their decision. While improving education amongst the young and gay community can help them to minimise risk taking behaviour, finding ways to tackle the plethora of excuses will continue to be challenging.

Article release date: 24th March 2010