In 2012, half of the boys (52%) and a quarter of the girls (26%) disapproved of two boys kissing each other in the street; in 2023, this had decreased to a quarter of the boys (24%) and one in eleven girls (9%). Alongside these positive findings, we see a more concerning picture in other areas. For example, three-quarters of girls experience pain during their first time having vaginal sex, girls reach orgasm much less often than boys, contraceptive and condom use is declining, and the number of young people who report experiencing sexually transgressive behaviour is increasing.

Sex later, greater acceptance of sex without being in love

The study shows that young people are increasingly starting to have sex at a later age. By the age of 18.7, half of young people have experience with vaginal sex. In 2017, this was 18 years, and in 2012, 17 years. The age at which they first masturbate (14.5 years) remained virtually unchanged during this period. More girls now consider sex without being in love acceptable (62%) than in 2017 (47%) and in 2012 (26%). For the first time, girls feel the same way about this as boys.

Difference in pleasure between boys and girls

Girls experience significantly less sexual pleasure than boys during sex. Sixty-four percent of boys describe their first time having vaginal sex as “pleasant”, compared with 28% of girls. This may be related to pain during first-time vaginal sex: three-quarters of girls experienced this as somewhat or very painful. Girls also lag behind boys in sexual pleasure during later sexual experiences. For example, boys more often (85%) than girls (75%) say that they greatly enjoy sex. There is also an orgasm gap. With their most recent sexual partner, 85% of boys usually or always had an orgasm, compared with 49% of girls.

Use of the pill and condoms declining

Contraceptive use is still high. Eight in ten young people always use contraception with the last person with whom they had vaginal sex. However, pill use has declined from 76% in 2012 to 46% in 2023. Increasingly more girls use an IUD (copper or hormonal): from 6% in 2012 to 21% in 2023.

However, the group that does not use contraception is also growing. One in five girls who have ever had vaginal sex does not use contraception. In 2012, this was one in eleven. More than half of the girls who do not use contraception do not want to use hormones.

Condom use among young people is also continuing to decline. In 2017, almost three-quarters of young people still used a condom during their first time having vaginal sex. In 2023, this had fallen to two-thirds. Among young people who were not in a relationship with their most recent sexual partner, the proportion who never used a condom with this partner increased. Among boys, this rose from 25% in 2012 to 40% in 2023, and among girls from 36% in 2012 to 46% in 2023.

Consent is not always assessed correctly

The number of young people who report having ever experienced sexual transgression has increased. Four percent of boys and 20% of girls report having been forced at some point to engage in sexual acts they did not want. In 2017, these figures were 2% and 12%, respectively. More than half of the girls (54%) and one in four boys (23%) have experienced physical sexual transgression: from unwanted touching to various forms of sex against their will. In 2017, these figures were 48% and 18%, respectively. This is despite the fact that most young people (94%) say they are always certain that the other person also wants to have sex. Ten percent of young people say they do not always check this. They usually give as a reason that they know this without checking.

The study

Sex under 25 2023 is a large-scale study into the sexual health of young people aged 13 to 25 (Sex under 25/Lifestyle Monitor, Rutgers & Soa Aids Nederland in collaboration with RIVM and CBS, 2023). The study was conducted by Rutgers and Soa Aids Nederland in cooperation with RIVM, CBS and the municipal public health services (GGDs). More than ten thousand young people took part in the study. The results are representative of the Dutch population of young people aged 13 to 25 through the use of weighting.

Read the full research report here.
Read the summary here.