NY TIMES: Teen sex on the decline

Interesting article today from the NY Times that says new statistics say that teen sex is declining.

Today, fewer than half of all high school students have had sex: 47.8 percent as
of 2007, according to the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey, down from 54.1
percent in 1991.

A less recent report suggests that teenagers are also waiting longer to have sex than they did in the past. A 2002 report from the Department of Health and Human Services found that 30 percent of 15- to 17-year-old girls had experienced sex, down from 38 percent in 1995. During the same period, the percentage of sexually experienced boys in that age group dropped to 31 percent from 43 percent.

The rates also went down among younger teenagers. In 1995, about 20 percent said they had had sex before age 15, but by 2002 those numbers had dropped to 13 percent of girls and 15 percent of boys.

“There’s no doubt that the public perception is that things are getting worse, and that kids are having sex younger and are much wilder than they ever were,” said
Kathleen A. Bogle, an assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice at
La Salle University. “But when you look at the data, that’s not the case.”

I wish there was more documentation for the following quote. I've had youth workers vehemently profess their belief in lots of kids engaging in rainbow parties. I just don't see it. Here's the quote:

As for that supposed epidemic of oral sex, especially among younger teenagers:
national statistics on the behavior have only recently been collected, and they
are not as alarming as some reports would have you believe.

Again, I appreciate the quote, but would like documentation:

“I give presentations nationwide where I’m showing people that the virginity
rate in college is higher than you think and the number of partners is lower
than you think and hooking up more often than not does not mean intercourse,”
Dr. Bogle said. “But so many people think we’re morally in trouble, in a
downward spiral and teens are out of control. It’s very difficult to convince
people otherwise.”

Of course this begs the question as to what may be causing a decline. I'm sure abstinence groups will begin taking credit for part of this, and it'd be tough to argue that they don't have some sort of influence. Especially in an age of easily accessed pornography, I wonder what is happenning culturally as an influencer.

Leave your take and let me know what you think the cause is.