More than three-quarters of teens think religious leaders should do more to help prevent teen pregnancy — that’s even more than the 64 percent of adults who think the same.
But while 76 percent of teens think religious leaders should do more to educate them about the risks of teenage sex, teens consistently say parents most influence their decisions about sex, according to an independent study commissioned by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.
Forty-seven percent of teenagers say parents influence their decisions more than friends, religious leaders, siblings, teachers, media and sex educators, according to Bill Albert, deputy director of the National Campaign. “One of the primary findings here is really good news for parents — that they are more influential on the topic than they thought they were,” he said, adding that “the science here is relatively clear. The kids who are most close with their parents are less likely to do some of the crummy things kids do.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 60 percent of teenagers have sex before graduating from high school. About 800,000 teenage girls in the United States get pregnant each year, even though in the past 10 years, the government has spent more than a billion dollars on abstinence-only programs.
Despite the influence they wield in the lives of their children, however, parents simply do not believe they affect a teen’s perceptions about sex, Albert said.
The survey, which included responses from 1,037 children age 12 to 19 and 1,162 adults 20 years and older, said only 34 percent of parents think they influence teenage decisions about sex. But the proportion of teens who say parents most influence their decisions about sex increased from 37 percent in 2004 to 47 percent in this year’s survey. And the proportion of teens who say they had a “helpful conversation” with their parents about delaying sex increased from 63 percent in 2004 to 71 percent in 2007.
“I think in some ways that parents are in a full state of denial,” Albert said. “These issues of sex, love and relationships are difficult. What this survey shows is that what the opposite of most parents believe is actually true. While they may not act like it, most teenagers actually think their parents are the most influential.”
Religious leaders have a role to play in helping parents address sex directly with their children and the role should be tailored to fit specific faith backgrounds, Albert said.
The message is different in a lot of homes. Some parents believe sex outside of marriage is wrong. Others simply teach their children that sex is something for adults. Ultimately even if religious leaders only go so far as to encourage parents to talk with their children about sex, that could reduce teen pregnancies in the entire community, Albert said.
“Young people’s sense of right and wrong plays a large role in their sexual lives,” he said. “Faith communities and religious leaders may underestimate the influence they have here. The research seems to make the connections between delayed sexual activity and religious belief.” (ABP)
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