Context The current public debate regarding whether oral sex constitutes ha
ving "had sex" or sexual relations has reflected a lack of empirical data o
n how Americans as a population define these terms.
Objective To determine which interactions individuals would consider as hav
ing" had sex."
Methods A question was included in a survey conducted in 1991 that explored
sexual behaviors and attitudes among a random stratified sample of 599 stu
dents representative of the undergraduate population of a state university
in the Midwest.
Participants The participants originated from 29 states, including all 4 US
Census Bureau geographic regions. Approximately 79% classified themselves
as politically moderate to conservative.
Main Outcome Measure Percentage of respondents who believed the interaction
described constituted having "had sex."
Results individual attitudes varied regarding behaviors defined as having "
had sex": 59% (95% confidence interval, 54%-63%) of respondents indicated t
hat oral-genital contact did not constitute having "had sex" with a partner
, Nineteen percent responded similarly regarding penile-anal intercourse.
Conclusions The findings support the view that Americans hold widely diverg
ent opinions about what behaviors do and do not constitute having "had sex.
".