Poll: Most Iranians Have Their First Sexual Encounter Before They Turn 18
In a recent Iran Open Data poll about their first sexual experiences, 54% of respondents stated their first sexual experience occurred before they were 18 years old. Another 17% stated their first sexual encounter was with a same-sex partner. Men are more likely to have had their first sexual experience with same-sex partners, while women are more likely to have had their first sexual encounter with the opposite gender. Close to 60% stated that they kept their first sexual experience a secret. 18% of respondents said they have not had any sexual experience. The details of the poll are available in the following article.
Speaking out publicly about sexuality is considered a taboo, so information about the quantity and quality of sexual relationships has been hard to come by. In the West, one of the consequences of the sexual revolution of the 1960s was the acceptance of openly speaking about sex. This shift has paved the way for research in this area. In recent years, there has been an increased focus on this topic. For example, a comprehensive study conducted across 44 countries between 2005 and 2007 revealed that the average age of the first sexual encounter in these countries was 18 years and 4 months. The lowest average age was in Austria (17.3 years of age), and the highest age was in Malaysia (23 years). More recent research in the United States has shown that the average age of the first sexual encounter in this country is between 16 to 17 years. 37% of these individuals wished to have their first sexual experience at a later age, while 6% said they wished to have it at an earlier age.
In Iran, discussions about sexual relationships have been considered socially unacceptable. However, public behavior has rapidly changed with advances in communication technologies. In recent years, talking about sex and sexual relationships has become more common. Even official media outlets such as Iran's state-run broadcasting channels, which once considered these topics off-limits, have started addressing these issues more openly.
Nevertheless, there is still a lack of reliable information on sexual relationships in Iran. A decade ago, a comprehensive study conducted by the Ministry of Education, using a sample of over 141,000 students, revealed that more than 74% of students had engaged in “illicit relationships with the opposite sex.” Another study mentioned by the Parliamentary Research Center stated that 80% of girls attending Tehran’s high school reported having sexual experiences with the opposite sex. Three years ago, the head of the country's AIDS Research Center stated that their studies showed Iranians had their first sexual experience at around 13.5 to 14 years of age.
Despite the scattered information, our knowledge about sexual relationships in Iran and demographic information about sexually active individuals remains limited. Iran Open Data, trying to fill this gap, posed questions related to this topic to social media users.
This poll was available to users from the 22nd of Khordad to the 2nd of Tir, 1402. During this period, 1,327 individuals responded to the questions. 78% of the participants were male and 22% were female. 96% of the respondents lived in urban areas, while the remaining 4% lived in rural areas. Participants were from 31 provinces, with the lowest response rates from Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad and South Khorasan provinces. As expected, the majority of respondents reside in Tehran. The average stated age of the respondents was 32 years. 38% did not have a bachelor's degree, while 62% had a bachelor's degree or higher. Furthermore, 56% of respondents were single, 38% were married, and the remaining 6% had previously been married.
The following short report and charts show the poll’s results.
Being sexually active
- 18% of the respondents stated that they have not had sexual relations with another person.
- Individuals between the ages of 20 and 40 report having had sexual relations more frequently than other age groups.
- Urban residents report having had sexual relations more often than rural residents.
- Individuals with a bachelor's degree or higher engage in sexual activities more frequently than individuals without it.
Age during first sexual encounter
54% of the respondents state that their first sexual experience was before the age of 18.
- 7% state that their first sexual experience took place before the age of ten.
- Men are more likely to experience their first sexual encounter before the age of 18, while women tend to do so after the age of 18.
- Rural residents tend to experience their first sexual encounter before the age of 18.
- Individuals without a bachelor's degree are more likely to experience their first sexual encounter before the age of 18. Those with bachelor’s degrees or higher tend to do so at an older age.
- Married individuals or those who have previously been married are more likely to have their first sexual experience before the age of 18, while single individuals tend to do so at an older age.
Same-sex and heterosexual encounters
- 17% of the respondents say their first sexual encounter was with a person of the same sex.
- 83% state that their first sexual experience was with a person of the opposite sex.
- Men are more likely to have a same-sex first sexual encounter, while women are more likely to have one with individuals of the opposite sex.
Type of sexual encounter
- 56% of the respondents state that they had sexual intercourse when they had their first sexual encounter.
- The remaining 41% state that intercourse was not part of their first sexual experience.
- Men are more likely than women to say that their first sexual encounter included sexual intercourse.
- Individuals without a bachelor's degree are more likely than those with higher education to say that their first sexual encounter involved intercourse.
Keeping the sexual encounter a secret
- 59% of the respondents state that no one was aware of their first sexual experience.
- The remaining 33% state that others were aware of their experience.
- Individuals without a bachelor's degree are more likely than those with higher levels of education to state that others knew about their first sexual encounter.
Others’ reaction to hearing about the sexual encounter
- 37% of the respondents state that they received a positive reaction from those who found out about their first sexual experience.
- Only 5% of the respondents said they received a negative reaction.
- 40% stated that they did not receive any particular reaction.
- Men are more likely than women to have encountered positive reactions from those who were informed about their first sexual encounter.
- Individuals with bachelor's degree and above are more likely than those without a bachelor's degree to have encountered positive reactions from those who were informed about their first sexual encounter.