Motivations for Maintaining Virginity Among US Adolescents

Abstract

PurposeThis study describes trends in virginity and the motivations for maintaining virginity between 2006 and 2019 among 15- to 19-year-old adolescents in the United States. MethodsWe used logistic regression and the margins command in Stata to estimate the proportion reporting virginity and the primary motivation for virginity during each survey period and the lincom command to facilitate statistical comparisons across time. ResultsThe proportion of males reporting virginity increased (from 56% to 61%), and the distribution of reasons for maintaining virginity shifted over time. Most females and males reported not having “found the right person” (16%–25% for females; 26%–35% for males), and a small percentage of females reported religion and morality (39%–27%) as motivations for abstinence. DiscussionThe calculus of adolescents' sexual decision-making is changing, pointing to a need for new, longitudinal data aimed at clarifying the role of sexual (in)activity in teens' lives.